Shadow Kiss an alternate ending
by loza'vamp
Summary: Starts at the Cabin scene in Shadow kiss, see what happens when an unwelcome intuder interupts RxD. The big fight ends differently but will it be plain sailing for everyone? Er No that would be boring. Please RxR.
1. Chapter 1 Caught in the Cabin

Chapter One: Caught in the Act

RPOV

I cannot believe this is happening, I had fantasized about this moment profusely and each time I envisioned it there had been slight variances, however not even in my wildest dreams had I foreseen this as the outcome. I tried to concentrate on anything but the precarious predicament we were in and reluctantly turned my head to look towards my tutor. I got shot down with one ice cold glare, her face was contorted with shock, I'm sure the only reason I hadn't been verbally or even physically assaulted and expelled from the academy by now was because the utter disbelief had rendered her momentarily speechless.

_Flashback_

_He had saved me from the darkness that I had pulled from Lissa, following what those lowlifes had done to her in an attempt to try and force her to join their stupid mana and then his lips were on mine and despite the fact we knew we shouldn't be doing this, there was no turning back. _

_The kiss intensified and my body was yearning for him, I felt a tingling sensation as his lips left mine and then a soft trail of burning heat as he placed gentle kisses down the length of my neck, this contact alone was heavenly and then he made me groan out load as he slowly grazed my collarbone with his teeth. Suddenly not enough parts of our bodies were touching for my liking so I slammed into him forcing him back, so he was laid on the bed and I was on top straddling him. I lent my head down to give him another passion fuelled kiss and then sat upright and removed my top to reveal my lacy white bra. I once again closed the distance between us, bringing our lips together, at the same time I wrapped my left hand in his hair and brought my right hand down to his manhood, stroking it though his bottoms._

_At that point Dimitri roared loudly at me and used his weight to spin us around so he was now on top. I saw him take a moment to register my half naked body, then he evened out the playing field by removing his shirt and discarding it to the floor, his upper body was perfect, chiselled perfection. We then clumsily pulled at each other's trousers in between kisses, the end result was me wearing nothing more than my matching bra and French knickers set and him on top of me in nothing more than his silk boxers. He leant down and kissed me once more before looking deep into my eyes asking me without any words if I was sure I wanted to do this, my only reply was to raise my head and bring my lips crashing to his. I could feel the electricity from our lips connecting and an excitement bubbled up inside of me in anticipation of what was about to happen, I felt his hand on the elastic of my panties about to remove them, the building tension forced me to scream out in anticipation. He stopped momentarily and looked at me, again he needed my reassurance to continue, and I simply gave a slight nod of my head. And then…_

_'What the hell is going on here?' Alberta's voice thundered through the cabin. We both froze in our positions, perfectly still, there was no way we were talking ourselves out of this one, and I reluctantly forced myself to look away from Dimitri and in Alberta's direction._

_End Flashback_


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm sorry the first chapter was so short, I'm new to this and this one is longer. I'm thinking about carrying on with this story? Do you think I should bother? **

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Vampire Academy**

Chapter Two

'I cannot believe what I am seeing,' Alberta roared, the situation was starting to sink in and the shocked expression on Alberta's face had now been replaced with one of furiousness, 'You were meant to be cleaning her wounds and calming her temper' she spluttered out to Dimitri. Suddenly it dawned on me we were still in a very compromising position, his hand was still on my panties, thankfully they had not come off, I wanted to move but a mixture of embarrassment and fear, mainly fear, rendered me unable to move my body. Dimitri must have had the same thought because in the blink of an eye he had removed his hand and climbed off me, pulling me into a sitting position in the process, resulting in him sat next to me. At that point Alberta throw our clothes at us to put on, it was obvious our state of undress was making it more difficult for her to form a coherent sentence, once dressed I wanted to look to Dimitri for signs of what I should do but I knew that wasn't what I should do, so I refrained. Alberta then quickly remembered how to speak again 'Guardian Belikov what the hell were you thinking? Miss Hathaway is your pupil, you were meant to be mentoring her not seducing her! I don't think I need to tell you how many rules you've broken' she yelled. 'I am going to have to report this to our superiors who will at best reassign you to another post or…or' she was stuttering her words at this point 'or worse case scenario, they will strip you of your guardian title' she managed to get out.

I felt a rage build inside me at that last comment and I couldn't stop myself, I shot to my feet. 'He hasn't done anything wrong' I commanded.

'Sit down Miss Hathaway' Alberta begun but I was too far gone to be dictated to, as more of my defensiveness and need to protect Dimitri came to the surface.

'We are both adults; do you think we planned this? We both tried to fight it but it was like denying us a part of ourselves, neither one of us is to blame. We both wanted, no needed this; if anything we are both guilty, although I can see no crime we have committed' I interjected my voice breaking towards the end.

I then felt a hand grab mine for a split second and then release it before I heard one word spoken, my name 'Rose.' It was almost nonchalantly, no shouting required but there was enough conviction in his voice to tell me it was an order. He was ordering me to stand down so I complied and retook my seat, knowing if I was looking at him no words would have been required for the order. I looked at Alberta who appeared to have thawed marginally but still looked pretty peeved, she was obviously trying to muster up the right words and was a little taken aback by our interaction; she'd probably never seen me conform so easily before.

'You see the problem with your outburst Miss Hathaway is that technically you are not an adult, you are a minor, a pupil here at the academy, Guardian Belikov's pupil no less. With that being said Guardian Belikov as the adult in a position of power should have used his judgment to realise undertaking this type of relationship with one of his students was utterly unthinkable.' She said the words and her voice had the conviction to back it up but when I looked at her face, her expression had mellowed further and she looked almost torn. Had she started to realise our predicament, how we felt? Was she starting to understand this wasn't a stupid fling? I wanted to tell her that we both took our line of work very seriously and would never willingly jeopardise our careers but I couldn't walk away from Dimitri, it would be like losing half of me. I tried to convey this message to her with just a look, like I could do with Dimitri and I swear I saw her guardian mask slip away momentarily and her expression changed to one of sympathy.

She then turned to speak to Dimitri her voice had lost all its conviction and righteousness 'I want an explanation, right now Belikov' she said, it was barely more than a whisper. Dimitri slowly raised his head to look her in the eye and replied simply 'I love her.'

He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world; I felt a sob of joy build up in my chest but forced it back and looked at Alberta to see how she would respond. She looked dumbfounded, her face instantly softened with understanding, at that moment I throw myself into Dimitri's arms so I was sitting in his lap, his strong arms wrapped tightly around me, protecting me, no longer able to keep my emotions in check, I let my breathless sobs escape into Dimitri's shirt. I couldn't see Alberta at this point as my face was planted into Dimitri's chest but I could hear her fumbling about as Dimitri tightened his arms around me, as if reassuring me that he'd never let anything happen to me. I managed to get my weeping under control but I still didn't want to make eye contact as I didn't want anyone to see the tears in my eyes so I repositioned my head so I was looking over Dimitri's shoulder, out of the window into the blackness of the night. 'As I love him' I managed to choke out.

'I'm sorry. I didn't realise' I heard Alberta say almost apologetically, happiness swelled up inside of me as I realised she fully understood and accepted our feelings but that was short lived because out of the corner of my eye I saw something move deadly fast and that could only mean one thing. Strigoi.

'I will keep this to my…' Alberta begun, but me jumping up at the speed of light halted her mid-sentence and caused Dimitri to jolt up aware by my actions something wasn't right. 'We're under attack' I proclaimed before either of them had chance to ask. Dimitri and Alberta were both immediately in their fighting stances, stakes in hand, they looked at me for more information, 'Strigoi' I confirmed. In a heartbeat Alberta had her radio in hand relying the message to the other Guardians, I was hoping seen as we were in a derelict cabin on the outskirts of the grounds I had spotted them early, removing their element of surprise and giving us time to assemble our troops before they reached the quads.

'How many?' Dimitri asked robotically. 'I can't be certain, at least 4' I answered.

'They haven't reached the main grounds yet,' Alberta confirmed 'The guardians are in position, ready for the attack.' I automatically went into Lissa's head and relief swept over me when I knew she was safe, there was a whole army of guardians surrounding her building. I picked up on her emotions and could tell she was worried about Christian but before I could delve deeper I was forced from Lissa's head by a loud bang in my present. The door had been kicked clean off its hinges and I was looking into five sets of red ringed eyes, I had my stake ready as a tall, blonde haired female throw herself at me. I was able to predict her action so I managed to turn so my shoulder received most of the impact but it still jolted me a little. It was obvious they saw me as the weak link of our group as this female was the smallest of their group and both Alberta and Dimitri had two attackers on them. The female threw several kicks and punches at me but they were very clumsy and I managed to evade most of them, I could tell she was moroi before she was changed and had had no combat training. Neither of us had been able to land a proper attack on each other but then she reached out towards my face, I saw it coming and managed to move my head back but her fingernails connected and dug into my cheek. The pain distracted me for a second and it was enough for her to knock me to the floor, she was sat on top of me, pinning my wrists to the ground, her teeth coming towards my neck. I managed to move my right leg to feign a kick it caused her to loosen her grip slightly in surprise, giving me the opportunity to free my hand with my stake in it and drive it through her heart. Her eyes went wide in shock and then she collapsed against my body, I pushed off her dead corpse and got back to my feet, Dimitri was shoving his stake through his second enemies heart and I counted the bodies, there were five, we had disposed of they all. Alberta and Dimitri looked unscathed, they showed no real signs of being in battle apart from the sweat on their foreheads, Alberta gestured for us to leave and get to the school grounds, and we obeyed.

As we neared the school the form of one of my guardians Stan came into view, I'd never really liked him but the fact he was stood openly in the centre of the yard suggested the threat had been eliminated. As we came face to face Stan explained we had prevailed in battle but there had been losses on both sides, apparently there had been over fifty strigoi, most were killed but a few escaped, no hostages were taken. He said if we had not spotted them early and raised the alarm, he feared the outcome would have been much worse.

I stopped paying attention at that point and opened the bond to make sure Lissa was ok, she seemed fine physically but emotionally she was a wreck. It seemed Christian was in the chapel, she was meant to meet him there but couldn't due to the attack, she was worried sick something had happened to him and frankly so was I. I pulled myself from Lissa'a head and saw a pair of brown eyes staring at me 'Roza, are you alright?' asked Dimitri, a worried expression on his face. 'Yes,' I exclaimed 'we have to get to the chapel now, Christians in there' I explained as I started to run. His eyes opened wide in shock and horror, he was running at my side in an instant, we made our way to the chapel as fast as we could.

As we entered the chapel grounds my nose was met with the smell of burnt flesh and I could vaguely hear Dimitri trying to soothe me by reassuring me that strigoi couldn't enter the chapel, I knew this, but I couldn't calm down until I saw Christian safe and sound for myself. We turned the corner to the entrance of the chapel and the rotten burnt flesh smell intensified, then I saw a motionless body on the ground. 'Christian!' I cried, running to the body but then I saw it's eyes, those evil red ringed eyes, and I as I did a quick inspection of the grounds I noticed there were six bodies, all burnt to death, all strigoi.

'What's happened here' I asked Dimitri, but before he could answer I noticed Christian's body slumped in the doorway of the chapel. We ran over to him and I was shouting his name but he didn't move, I felt for a pulse, it was very slow but it was there at least, I tapped his faced repeatedly to try and awaken him but to no avail. The next thing I knew Dimitri scooped him into his arms 'we need to take him to the infirmary Rose' was all he said and we ran there as fast as our legs would take us.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

**Here's a bit of Dimitri's POV for you all but this story will be mostly from the POV of Rose. **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter, please R&R**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own vampire academy**

DPOV

We had only been at the infirmary a couple of minutes, the doctor was tending to Christian, and Rose had gone outside with my phone to call Lissa and explain what was happening and get her to come and heal Christian, those two acted like they didn't care for each other but Rose was distraught when she saw him lying motionless in the chapel. I managed to have a good look at Christian as I carried him here and from what I saw he didn't have any physical injuries and judging by the charred strigoi my best guess at a diagnosis was Christian had fried his enemies but used so much magic to do it he was probably exhausted. I hoped so anyway, I knew how upset Rose and Lissa would be if anything were to happen to him and then there was Tasha, Christians aunt, he was her only family after the attack on his parents.

I was pulled from my own thoughts as Rose walked back into the waiting area and handed me back my phone, as a novice Rose wasn't allowed her own mobile phone but I was surprised she hadn't got herself one anyway, she was no stranger to breaking the rules after all. 'Lissa's on her way to heal Christian, she feels guilty cause he was only at the chapel cause they were meant to meet there, she thanked us for finding him and bringing him here. She shouldn't be long she just has to wait for a guardian to escort her here because of the attack.' Rose explained. Why was Lissa meeting Christian at the chapel I wondered to myself? I would have to ask Rose later.

Suddenly Rose's face was engulfed in sadness and tears spilled from her eyes, I pulled her to me in a tight embrace trying to reassure her I was here for her. 'I'm sure Christian will be fine he had no visible injuries I could see, my guess would be he's probably just exhausted from using too much magic to dispose of his opponents. He probably won't even need Lissa to heal him, just rest' I said trying to soothe her trembling body.

She raised her head to look me in the eyes, hers were still filled with tears but no new ones were forming and she seemed to have her sobbing under control 'It's not just that,' she choked. 'It's everything, you and me, Alberta, the attack, Lissa, Christian. What if Alberta reports us and you get taken away from me? How did the strigoi break the wards? What if something had happened to you? I couldn't have coped with that. And, and, and I need to know… Do you regret what almost happened between us? Do you regret being with me?' She fired her questions at me relentlessly and without taking a breath, I was overloaded with too many questions at one time.

I couldn't believe after everything she still doubted my love for her. 'Silly Roza, I could never regret anything that happens between us. I could never regret you, I love you.' I reassured her 'Plus I'm sure Alberta will keep our secret, she seemed understanding and I will talk to her about the attack and us soon and we can go from there.'

She lifted her head from my chest and I noticed the five bloody marks on her face 'Why didn't you tell me you were injured? Does your cheek hurt?' I queried whilst reaching for a first aid box on the counter across from us.

'Oh' she said putting her fingers to her injuries and wincing slightly 'I forgot about those.' I grabbed an antiseptic wipe from the box and brushed it over her wounds, she winced more loudly as the wipe came into contact with her open cuts and when I was satisfied her wounds were sterilised I put a dressing over them; I was confident the cuts weren't deep enough to require stiches and wouldn't scar. She thanked me for cleaning her up or 'putting her back together again' as she put it that brought a smile to my face; I would always be here to put her pieces back together if she needed me to.

I pulled her to me again and stroked her hair softly and murmured to her in Russian hoping it would have a calming effect on her. We were then interrupted by a frantic looking Lissa who stepped back in shock for a split second when she saw our embrace. Shit! I had forgotten we were in public and our relationship needed to be kept under wraps at least until Rose was eighteen. I quickly released Rose and then a guardian came through the door Lissa had entered apparently Lissa had beaten him here which was surprising considering she was a moroi. I was thankful I had released my Roza before Guardian Alto had entered; I knew Stan would not be as understanding as Alberta. The princess looked at Rose shock still cloaking her face, there were obviously a lot of questions she wanted to ask about what she had just witnessed but her worry for Christian won out. 'Where is he? Is he OK? Can I see him?' She bombarded Rose.

Just then the nurse came out and addressed Lissa, 'He has no physical injuries, it would appear he used his magic offensively and took out about numerous strigoi single handily, he's just exhausted from overexertion of magic. He is sleeping at the moment, you may sit with him for a few minutes but then I must ask you to leave as it is after visiting hours and Mr Ozera needs his rest.' The nurse clarified.

Relief swept over the faces of both Rose and Lissa although I had an incline Lissa was still curious about the position she'd caught me and Roza in earlier, and Roza would have plenty of questions to answer later. How could we allow ourselves to get caught twice in the same day? So much for my super guardian senses.

We all entered the room even Stan, and Rose and Lissa ran over to Christians bedside, I looked him over from the doorway, he looked very peaceful, he had been very brave tonight most moroi wouldn't have the first clue how to defend themselves, but he had done tremendously, most fully trained guardians would struggle taking down that many strigoi single handily. I would be sure to tell him as much when he awoke although I'm sure Roza wouldn't want me indulging his ego too much. Now I was confidant he was going to be alright I might as well go and find Alberta and have the talk with her, it was going to be awkward, I wanted to hear all the information on the attack but I wasn't looking forward to discussing Rose with her. 'Princess. Rose' I addressed them but only Rose turned to look at me, Lissa was still staring at Christian 'I will leave you both with Christian and Guardian Alto, I am going to go and speak to Guardian Petrov. I will see you tomorrow to check how you are all holding up.' Rose nodded but I could see a longing in her eyes, I don't think she wanted me to leave but I needed to go now while I had the courage to face Alberta. I gave her a sincere smile and exited the room.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

**Hope everyone enjoys this chapter.**

**I would really like to hear what you guys think and if you have any suggestions I would like to hear them too. All reviews are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Vampire Academy.**

RPOV

I had just left Lissa's room, I had convinced Stan I could make my own way back to my dorm, I needed to check Lissa was going to be alright before I left. She had seemed to relax a little about Christian when she saw him and realised he just needed rest but I could tell there was something on her mind, I could feel the pride oozing from her because of how well Christian had defended himself. She had tried to heal him, which had no effect because as I explained to her there were no corporal injuries to heal, he just needed to rest and let his body recuperate from all the magic he used. She was a little pissed however that the nurse hadn't given us enough time with Christian; we barely got five minutes before we were asked to leave. I managed to convince her to leave by pointing out how late it was and placating her with the fact she'd get to visit tomorrow and she should get her rest as he'd probably be awake tomorrow and she wouldn't want to be falling asleep on him.

Once we'd got to her room and I'd persuaded Stan to leave us I thought Lissa would just pass out from exhaustion plus knowing her she would try and get as much sleep as possible because she was now undoubtedly fretting that she would fall asleep just as Christian came round tomorrow. I was completely surprised when she turned to me after locking her door and started shouting angrily at me.

'I can't believe you didn't tell me, do you not trust me? And don't even think about denying it missy' she said whilst pointing her finger at me.

'What are you talking about Liss? What didn't I tell you?' I questioned, wracking my brain trying to think what I'd failed to mentioned.

'Don't give me that,' she answered 'the way you two were wrapped around each other it was obvious. I can't believe I didn't notice it sooner. There's always been something odd about your relationship and how you both acted when you're around each other. ARGHHH, I've been so blind.'

Damn! She knows about Dimitri and me and now she thinks I don't trust her cause I didn't tell her. Damn, damn, damn. 'Don't be so soft Lissa of course I trust you, the main reason I haven't told you yet is because up until now there really hasn't been that much to tell' I tried to explained.

She stared at me dejected for a few seconds before adding 'You should have told me what was going on.'

'I wanted to Lissa I swear but I was embarrassed and nervous and until today there were only a couple of stolen kisses to tell you about. We had vowed to stay apart because we are both going to be your guardians but I guess after tonight's events we just couldn't stay apart any longer. I still don't know what's going to happen now, nothing changed; we're still both going to be your guardians.' I tapered off as tears filled my eyes. The words 'they come first' were being replayed over and over in my head, I swore to this mantra but if it meant losing Dimitri could I really abide to it, could I really walk away? 'Hell no' a small rebellious voice in the back of my mind chimed, I pushed it down and stopped thinking about it but more tears showered my cheeks because I knew deep down the little voice was right.

At this point Lissa unleashed her waterworks too and she hugged me with all her might. I couldn't be strong and keep it in any longer, I allowed myself to un-bottle all the emotions that had threatened to engulf me and let them all out, we fell to our knees in unison and the tears kept on coming.

'I'm so sorry,' Lissa cried. 'This is all my fault, if it wasn't for me you'd be free to love whomever you wanted.

'No Liss it's not your fault, if this is meant to be then we'll find a way to make it work. Besides you're not our only obstacle there's also the issues that he is my mentor and seven years my senior. And let's not forget I'm not eighteen yet so legally if we have sex we're breaking the law.' I countered having regained my composure.

'I just hate the fact it's so difficult for you, I want you to be free to openly have a relationship with anyone you like and no matter how much you try to sugar coat it for me, I hate the fact I'm part of the reason you can't be with him.' Lissa argued.

'Me too Liss, but we'll find a way to be together after I graduate, Dimitri is like some Zen God he always has the answers.' I said with conviction in my voice. I had to make her believe me even if I didn't believe myself. 'And you knowing that I love Dimitri will give me an outlet, being able to confide in my sister will definitely help. I'm so glad you know' I continued. I slipped the word sister in there mainly because of how close we were but also trying to butter her up so she'd stop being anger or upset.

She looked at my sympathetically 'You love him?' she squealed, waiting for confirmation.

'Unconditionally' I answered without hesitation.

After that she was smiling so hard her cheeks must have ached, I could tell she was ecstatic for me after all is was virtually unheard of for dhampires to fall in love, especially with each other. She promised to help us be together in any way that she could and I went on to tell her about Alberta interrupting us, which she of course found hilarious. The memory was still too fresh for me to laugh at, but I'm sure one day in the very distant future if things worked out for Dimitri and me I'd find the memory quite comical.

I looked up and realised I had made it back to my room, it was the middle of the moroi night but due to the residual adrenaline in my body and my brain trying to focus on a thousand things at once I didn't feel tired. However I was in desperate need of a shower so I decided to get cleaned up then try and sleep, the quicker the morning came the quicker I'd get to see Dimitri.

I stepped into the bathroom and turned the shower on. I cranked the temperature up so it was piping hot and exited my mucky clothes. The hot water felt good against my skin and it was soothing my aches and sores, I carefully removed the bandage Dimitri and put on my cheek and let the water fall onto my wounds. I stood in the shower cleaning until the water ran cold and then blow dried my hair and put it up into a low bun. I put on the first nighty I picked up which was a tight fitting silk number, it was a deep red colour and had a lace pattern around the bust line and at the hem. It fell to mid-thigh and had a plunging v neckline as I inspected myself in the mirror I knew I looked hot but realised this outfit was wasted on sleep. I didn't have the energy to change though so I just climbed into bed and just as sleep was threatening to whisk me away into its relaxing slumber a knock at the door brought me back to reality.

It was 2 o'clock in the night our time, the sun was no doubt beating down who the hell would disturb me at this time? I quickly checked the bond and knew it wasn't Lissa; she was sound asleep as I should be. Just then there was another knock and I realised I hadn't moved from my spot in bed yet to answer it, hold your horses I thought. Then I heard the word 'Roza' in a thick Russian accent and I ran to the door and fought with my key to unlock it as fast as possible. There stood my Russian God in all his glory, I quickly ushered him inside to make sure no one would see him, before I could say anything his lips crashed into mine supplying me with an intense feverish kiss which I eagerly returned whole heartedly.

'What was that for comrade?' I seductively asked.

'That was for loving me and keeping yourself safe' he replied releasing me from his vice like hold so he could step back and take in my outfit. A lustful smile spread across his face letting me know he liked my nighty, maybe it wouldn't be wasted after all I thought to myself.

'Did you manage to speak to Alberta?' I asked barely managing to keep my eyes open.

'Yes, but that's not for you to concern yourself with right now' he smiled. 'You look exhausted, you need to sleep and we can discuss it in the morning.'

He started to pull me towards the bed but I pulled back from his grip. 'Will you stay with me tonight?' I pleaded.

He gave me a searching look trying to decide if that was a good idea I presume 'Ok Roza' he agreed, then lifted me up and carried me to my bed. I laid in the bed whilst Dimitri stripped to his boxers and then he got in behind me and pulled me into a spooning position. 'You know comrade there are other things we could finish off before we sleep, seen as we were interrupted earlier' I suggested. I felt him physically tense beside me he was obviously pondering my suggestion, and then I stifled a yawn hoping he wouldn't notice.

'Goodnight Roza' was all he said and I honestly didn't have the strength to argue. I fell asleep in the arms of my sexy Russian.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

**This chapter contains some scenes of a sexual nature not really suitable for children. If you don't like that stuff please avoid, i have tried to put breaks in the page to highlight the lemony part. This is my first attempt at a sex scene please don't be too brutal.**

**Please review and let me know what you think good or bad. I really appreciate reviews and would like to get more, i don't have many at the moment but thanks to those of you who have reviewed.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

I woke up feeling refreshed but could tell I wasn't fully rested, I could feel his strong arms wrapped around me and was overwhelmed by his intoxicating scent.

'Morning Roza' he said groggily in his thick laced accent. So this is what it felt like to wake up in his arms?

'You stayed' I exclaimed happily. There was a hint of relief to my voice. A small part of me had expected him to run off as soon as I fell asleep.

'Of course I stayed Roza, just as you requested' he said laughingly.

'Hey what's so funny comrade?' I asked fake pouting.

He stopped laughing and looked into my eyes 'Nothing' he replied. Ha, like I believe that, I bet my hair looked like a bird's nest or something.

'Wait there just a second, I'll be right back' I said as I ran to the bathroom.

'I'm not going anywhere' he replied sitting up and resting his hands behind his head.

I gave him a sexy wink and what I hoped was a seductive smile before I entered the bathroom shutting the door behind me. I glanced in the mirror, yep just as I suspected my hair looked ridiculous. I let it down, brushed it before wetting it down and putting it back up into a bun. I then quickly brushed my teeth and returned to my waiting Adonis.

As I reached the bed I jumped on at the bottom and sexily crawled up it towards Dimitri who never took his eyes off me. I crawled up his legs which were flat out and sat on my knees on his lap straddling him and wrapped my arms around his neck giving him a good morning kiss.

We both pulled back breathless 'I was surprised you came round last night comrade, but I'm extremely happy you did' I told him.

'Well I was headed back to my room after my chat with Alberta but I decided I couldn't wait another moment before seeing you so I came over' he explained.

Oh yeah, I forget he went to see Alberta. 'What did she say when you saw her?' I asked.

'Well she said they think only five or six strigoi managed to escape last night which considering there were around seventy to begin with is a good result. There were more than originally thought they'd not taken into account the ones at the chapel or at the cabin you see. However there is some concern because they were working alongside humans, that's how they broke the wards they had humans stake them. They probably offered the immortality in return or something like that' he told me.

As much as I wanted to know all the details of the attack, this wasn't the information I wanted from him and he knew it. 'About us, what did she say about us comrade?' I demanded impatiently.

'Ohhh, that' he joked. 'Well she wants to talk to us both again when she's less distracted but she did say she understands how difficult it is for our kind to find love and she would not stand in our way. However she stressed how important it was that we keep our love a secret at least until you are eighteen and have graduated. She wants us to control ourselves until then. We discussed our private training sessions, which I assured her were exactly that, even so she thinks that one on one alone time may not be the smartest move given the situation. However we did agree that these sessions have drastically improved your combat skills, so in that respect they have been a roaring success. So we decided rather than cancel them altogether, Alberta is going to ask a couple of other novices who she thinks would benefit from this kind of tutelage if they would like to join us, and maybe add another guardian to our sessions as well. ' He explained.

Well at least that's one less thing to worry about I thought to myself. 'Yeah we'll definitely need another guardian present comrade. Wouldn't want you taking advantage of any other pupils would we?' I joked and then swallowed up his laugh in a kiss.

Our kissing intensified and I wrapped my hands in his hair wanting to our bodies to be in contact in as many places as possible.

He then put a hand on each of my arms, broke the kiss, picked me up and plonked me down so I was sat next to him. 'No Roza' he said breathlessly. You have got to be kidding me I thought to myself.

'What's the matter? Did I do something wrong?' I asked, sticking my bottom lip out into a pout. I knew full well this was because Alberta had forbidden this for now, and there was little chance of me cracking his merciless self-control, but a girl had to try.

'You can stop whatever plan you're conjuring up Roza. It is not going to work, I have just this minute explained Alberta has prohibited this kind of behaviour until you graduate, she has been very lenient with us and I think we should respect her wishes.' He said defiantly his guardian mask perfectly in place. I resigned myself to the fact he'd made up his mind and got up to walk towards the bathroom. I was just about to reach for the doorknob when Dimitri used his super guardian speed to appear in front of me, blocking the door.

'What no kicking and screaming,' he questioned raising his eyebrow at me. 'I thought for sure I was going to get a tirade of Rose-logic trying to convince me to change my mind.' He teased. His lips curled up in the corners forming a smirk but his eyes looked almost disappointed.

'What's the point?' I asked. Although it sounded more like a statement than a question, my voice was ringing with the sound of defeat. I reached for the doorknob gesturing for him to move. Instead he grabbed my hand holding it in his own and lifted my chin up so he could look in my eyes. I gave him a genuine smile although I was aware it hadn't reached my eyes, I didn't want him thinking I was some spoiled brat when I didn't get my own way.

I searched his eyes as he did mine it was almost like looking through a window into his soul. I saw numerous emotions cross his face curiosity, resolve, and concern. Then they were gone and I could see a look of love and surrender. At that he scooped me into his arms bridal style, bringing his lips to mine and rushed us to the bed.

He laid me on the bed and positioned himself on top so he was hovering over me never breaking our kiss and then everything seemed to pick up in urgency. 'Whoa, what's the rush?' I said playfully 'Got somewhere you'd rather be?' He smiled implying he liked my playful behaviour. 'There is nowhere I'd rather be than in your arms Roza. Besides its only 5 o'clock we've got at least an hour before anyone will come looking for us.' He mocked.

* * *

He then slipped off my nighty to reveal my thong, I felt slightly shy as I hadn't bothered to put a bra on last night but Dimitri was only wearing boxer shorts and when he kissed me it was filled with so much love I knew I had nothing to be self-conscious about. He pulled back so he could look approvingly over my body. 'You see something you like comrade?' I teased. His eyes widened at my playful comment and a smile spread across his face 'Very much so' he answered.

'Well you know it's not very nice to stare, especially when you still have so many items of clothes on' I chastised humorously. Then I took it upon myself to remove his boxers leaving him completely naked. Now it was my turn to stare, desire oozing from me.

'Now who's staring?' he smiled causing us both to chuckle out loud.

'Are you sure you want to do this?' he asked me. 'Um hum' was the only answer I could manage as my body started to tremble, yearning for his touch.

At that he brought his body to mine and introduced our lips once more, he gently slid his hand down the side of my torso past my hip and down the outside of my thigh sending an electric current everywhere it went. When he reached my knee he began to bring his hand back up only now he traced the inside of my thigh, painfully slowly. I broke the kiss firstly to growl out in approval and secondly to catch my breath, my breathing was ragged from my lack of oxygen and the combustible pleasure sweeping over my body. He took that as a cue the sprinkle kisses down my neck leaving a burning trail where his lips had been. Just as his lips reached my bust his hand had found its way to my core. A surge of desire wracked my body as I involuntarily called out his name 'Dimitri.'

I was so excited by this point I was dripping wet and I knew Dimitri had to have noticed. 'My Roza's so wet' he affirmed. 'Wet for me' he declared with a proud grin on his face.

Now his hand had reached its destination he started rotating his thumb gently in a circular motion applying enough pressure to cause my body to quiver from the ecstasy of his touch. His tongue was mimicking the movements identically rotating around my nipple. As he continued he steadily upped the pressure, it was always the perfect amount and I could feel him graze my nipple with his teeth causing me a sort of pleasurable pain. My body was shuddering relentlessly under his touch and I felt like I would snap at any minute, the building pleasure was forcing me to roar out in approval. He lifted his lips to the side of my head 'You have to be quiet my Roza.' He whispered the words against my ear, his voice thick with his sexy Russian accent. At the same time he plunged two fingers deep inside of me forcefully. With that I went flying over the edge as surge after surge of heavenly bliss overwhelmed my body; he brought his lips to mine stifling all of my screams in a kiss.

After I'd finished and regained my composure he looked adoringly into my eyes and repositioned himself so his tip was at my entrance. 'Did you enjoy that Roza?' he asked lazily like he already knew the answer. 'It was ok' I replied trying to act nonchalant but my breathing was still slightly uneven. 'Well if you're not that bothered we can stop' he teased. 'Let's not be hasty' I joked letting him see my growing impatience. 'Remember what I said Roza' he murmured sexily into my ear, his hot breath on my face causing me to gasp. 'Silence' he said it so domineeringly it sounded like an order and I was happy to submit. At that he pushed into me and then stopped and waited for me to adjust, when I gave him my signal he continued.

Sex with Dimitri was wonderful it had hurt a little at first but that subsided and made way for my body to experience a whole new level of pleasure. He of course was perfect he had taken a domineering role but was also happy to submit and let me take control when I'd requested and as usual his patience knew no bounds. I now knew that this was where I was always meant to be.

* * *

I was laid in his arms our legs were tangled together and my head was resting on his chest. 'How are you feeling Roza' he enquired. 'Amazing, a little achy and tired but I've never been better.' I answered him honestly. 'I hate to leave you Roza but I will have to go soon, it is just gone six and we can't afford for anyone to come looking for me, can we?' he asked. I couldn't argue with his logic

'I suppose not if we want to keep this quiet' I agreed. He looked down at me and let a laugh, he obviously found something amusing. 'Quiet my Roza' he chuckled 'we'll be lucky if the whole building didn't hear you.' My face must have turned bright red I blushed so hard. 'Don't be self-conscious my love, I was glad to hear you enjoyed it.' He responded causing me to forget my embarrassment.

'Well can we just lay here for a few more minutes?' I asked.

'Of course, anything for you. But then I have to go back to my room and you can shower and we'll meet in the gym at seven.' He replied

'Agreed' was all I said before I went back to basking in the perfectness of the moment.

**Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it. Remember if you have the time please leave a review they really encourage me to continue.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

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**Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to review.**

My last few moments with Dimitri were over all too quick before he had to run. I knew it was a necessary evil though, God knows we couldn't afford to risk another interruption. I had a super quick shower, dried my hair and throw on my workout outfit. It started to hit me how tired I was, due to my lack of sleep and the strenuous activities I had undertaken and my aches and sores were starting to make themselves known. Not to mention I was famished, I had got ready in good time, it was only six forty maybe I should stop of at the canteen before I go to the gym and try and grab something to eat. If the canteen was even up and running at this time, Lord knows I normally wasn't.

I sprinted across to the canteen and luckily it was open, they had a couple of frosted doughnuts probably what was left from yesterday so I grabbed those and a large coffee. I made my way to our normal table which of course was empty because all my friends were no doubt tucked up in bed. I made quick work of my doughnuts, practically devouring them whole, man I must have been hungry and then tuck a big swig of my coffee which proceeded to scold my mouth. 'Watch out the coffees hot' came Eddies amused voice from behind me.

'Hey Eddie' I greeted him 'what are you doing up so early?' I asked. He grabbed the chair opposite me and plonked his coffee on the table. 'Same as you' he answered. 'What' I asked blankly, unable to catch his drift.

'Guardian Petrov invited me to crash yours and Belikov's training sessions and I agreed. I thought this way I'd be able to kick your ass in combat class for a change.' He joked. How the hell had Alberta managed to sort it out so quickly I pondered to myself. 'Cool, now I'll be able to kick your butt in training before Dimitri kicks mine.' I retaliated sarcastically. We both started laughing out loud 'Come on we should really get going, it's five to seven.' Eddie informed me. We both grabbed our coffees and ran towards the gym.

'When did you arrange to join our training sessions?' I asked casually. 'This morning, Guardian Petrov asked me during my early morning run' he said. 'What you voluntarily get up early to run on a Sunday?' I asked like it was the most stupid thing I'd ever heard. 'Ha ha' he replied sarcastically. 'I've done it every day since Spokane, it helps to clear my head and get my emotions in check for the day.' He explained. I just gave him a slight nod of understanding and we ran the rest of the way in silence.

As we reached the gym we were both slightly breathless, due to our competitive nature the run had turned into a race, which I had won by a fraction of a second. 'Woo woo, take that Castile' I gloated as we pushed the gym door open. As we walked in we were met by Dimitri and a stone faced Alberta. 'Miss Hathaway, Mr Castile you are late, may I suggest you stop showboating and get straight to work since we don't have as much time as we'd like.' She stated. 'Yes Guardian Petrov' Eddie and I replied in unison. We couldn't have been more than thirty seconds late, this was going to be a fun session I could just tell. I allowed myself a quick look at Dimitri who gave me a brief smile before we both put on our business faces.

'Now I am going to pass you over to Guardian Belikov to get you started, he is in charge of these sessions, I am simply here to monitor, you can forget I'm here.' Alberta explained. Although I found it hard to believe she wouldn't be making her presence known, however it did appear Eddie would be the only novice joining our session with was good at least.

'Right' Dimitri started 'we'll start with a warm up run; I think fifteen laps of the field should suffice.' Oh yeah today's session was going to be a hoot I could feel it.

As Eddie and I began our laps were both disappointed, obviously this wasn't what he'd envisioned. 'Is this how you always start off your sessions?' asked Eddie. This was how I always used to start sessions but as they'd progressed I was doing more fighting techniques so the number of laps had been reduced to save time. I wasn't going to tell Eddie this though and have him think he'd brought my training back a notch to accommodate him. 'Pretty much, sometimes we do a few less laps to fit in more combat training' I answered.

'Well great I didn't realise just how much fun this was going to be' Eddie moaned sarcastically. 'What you mean running around in circles until you get dizzy isn't your definition of fun? I thought you did it voluntarily in your free time?' I joked. 'That's different, I explained that to you. I thought this was going to be Belikov showing us some new badass fighting techniques' Eddie grumbled.

I felt kind of bad for Eddie he reminded me of myself when I first started these sessions, they were a bitter disappointment. 'Nope that's how they lure you in, I call it the carrot and stick technique. They get you here using the carrot as a bribe and then when you arrive the whack you with a stick.' I joked. We both cracked out laughing but managed to keep moving just about.

'Concentrate on your laps, you're losing time' Dimitri's voice roared across the field. We looked over at the two guardians in the gym doorway watching us intently; they were both unreadable and stone faced. Dimitri's expression was a polar opposite to how it was this morning when he held me in his arms, I sighed internally. 'Geez is Belikov always this much fun?' Asked Eddie mockingly, bringing me back to reality. 'He has his moments' I answered, laughing to myself. 'Maybe its Alberta rubbing of on him, that woman always looks like she's sucking a lemon.' Added Eddie, which shocked me a little normally Eddie never spoke badly of anyone. We both laughed once again this time in agreement. 'So wanna make this interesting? How about we race?' Eddie suggested. I nodded to accept his challenge and like that the joking was over.

As I'd predicted this session had been mind-numbingly boring and Alberta had made her presence felt. Dimitri was going to let us finish five minutes early as we put in such impressive times on our laps until Alberta suggested that wasn't a good idea seen as we were thirty seconds late this morning. A spectator my ass, more like a dictator I thought to myself.

Eddie and I were exiting the gym when Alberta piped up 'Miss Hathaway can you stay behind for a few minutes please.' She asked although it was not a question. I told Eddie to let everyone know I'd meet them at our usual table and that I was running a little late. He also agreed to order me some pancakes and bacon for breakfast in case they stopped serving before I got there.

I walked towards the two guardians whose faces matched each other's identically, they both had there guardian masks on which made them look harsh and severe. I pulled my lips into the biggest smile I could muster and went to stand beside Dimitri waiting for Alberta to start.

'As I'm sure Guardian Belikov has made you aware Miss Hathaway I intend to keep the situation I walked in on last night in the cabin to myself and I have gone against my better judgment and have not requested Guardian Belikov be reassigned. I have reached this decision primarily based on my knowledge of both of your characters. Miss Hathaway you can be impulsive and reckless however I know you well enough to know you wouldn't enter lightly into anything that would endanger your position as future guardian to Princess Dragomir. And Guardian Belikov I have known you for a number of years now and have never heard of you acting in any manner other than with perfect professionalism. I know you too would not normally embark on anything that would bring your career into disrepute. I know for the reasons I have just stated and because I have seen it first-hand that you love each other and taking into account how rare it is for dhampires to find love I wouldn't want to take it away from you. However I must remind you that any physicality of a sexual nature between the two of you until Miss Hathaway turns eighteen is breaking the law. Furthermore I would prefer it if you ceased to partake in any further sexual encounters until Miss Hathaway graduates as you would be risking the reputation of the school should this become public knowledge. Please do not let this subject be brought to my attention again until after graduation.' Alberta delivered her statement like a judge would a verdict, it was damning.

I was taking in all the information Alberta had given us and what it amounted to basically was we were ok as long as we didn't get caught again and considering this ordeal I couldn't see either of us being stupid enough to let that happen again. I just hoped Dimitri didn't decide we should stay apart until graduation again. I mean I wasn't sure why he came round the first time, but he certainly wouldn't change his mind a second time.

Alberta seemed to drop her guardian mask and started talking again. 'What I am about to say I tell you as a friend, not your colleague or superior and is completely off the record. I really am happy that you two have found each other and sympathise with you both, given your current set of circumstances it cannot be easy. If you really can't keep away from each other until after graduation then I would recommend finding a secure location with a lock on the door. Oh and make sure there's no funny business on my watch the pair of you. If your relationship becomes public knowledge I won't be able to turn the other cheek and the consequences won't be pleasant for either of you. I am personally risking a lot for you two, do not make me regret it.' That was all she said before she turned and walked out of the gym.

Dimitri and I headed towards the door and I felt his hand brush mine slightly as he went to open the door for me. He was always the perfect gentleman, who said chivalry was dead? Neither of us spoke a word we both knew it was better to have this conversation in private. Hopefully we'd get to celebrate at some point I let myself fanaticise as I went to have a quick shower before meeting my friends.

Maybe this session wasn't so bad after all.

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	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

**Hope you all enjoy this chapter**

I entered the cafeteria my hair was still damp from my shower and walked over to my friends sat at our table. Lissa was snuggled up against Christian smooching whilst Eddie was sat opposite them stoically obviously trying to ignore the make out session taking place in front of his very eyes. Next to him sat Adrian who was looking beyond Lissa and Christian towards the door presumably awaiting my arrival. 'Little dhampir how nice of you to finally join us.' He greeted me happily probably thankful for my arrival as it seemed to coax the lovebirds apart. I was glad to see they'd released Christian from the med clinic already and he looked 100% better.

'Sorry I'm late, I take it Eddo explained.' I said placing myself at the chair with a massive stack of pancakes in front of it.

Then Christian piped up 'Yeah he mentioned it. How_ rude_ of Alberta to _interrupt_ your breakfast plans. I mean where some people get off.' I nearly choked on my pancakes as Christian emphasised the words rude and interrupt to make the double meaning of his statement obvious to me and confirm Lissa had spilled the beans to him.

I quickly looked at Eddie who was oblivious to Christian's innuendo and then to Adrian who knew about Dimitri and me but obviously Lissa hadn't discussed it with him because his face showed he knew something was amiss but not what.

'So' Christian continued. 'What did Alberta have to say for herself anything juicy?' That caused a quick glance from Eddie and Adrian's expression was priceless. He was desperate for someone to fill him in on what was going on. He looked at me pleading but I just waved him off.

'She didn't say much just something about being careful who I disclose confidential information to so it doesn't get passed around.' I directed my response to Lissa who squirmed in her seat.

'Huh, that's strange.' Commented Eddie 'I wonder why they wanted to talk to you alone about that?'

'I couldn't say maybe there's a rumour going round or something.' I replied as innocently as possible.

'Could be' Eddie answered. He seemed to believe my lame excuse.

'I'm surprised she didn't tell you about the show she saw the other night' Christian interjected obviously he wasn't finished yet. 'I've heard it was really graphic' he went on forcing death glares from Lissa and me. He was obviously back to his normal sarcastic self; he was loving every moment of my discomfort. I won't forget this anytime soon Sparky I thought to myself.

'Little dhampir' Adrian cut in. 'Would you be kind enough to escort me to the feeders?' He looked like he was going to explode from the curiosity and I had to admit I felt a little sorry for him. 'I'll walk you as far as my room and that's all you're getting' I answered. 'That'll do' he accepted eagerly. 'Are you ready to go now?' he asked impatiently. 'Sure I've lost my appetite anyway' I said getting up from my seat.

Eddie was looking at me perplexed but that was probably due to the fact I'd not finished a meal that was a rarity to say the least. He didn't seem too concerned about our encrypted conversation unlike Adrian who practically dragged me out of the canteen. I was barely able to say goodbye to everyone but I did manage to shoot evil looks at Christian as I exited, he just sat there with an evil smirk on his face. I was going to make sure he paid for this.

As soon as we were out of there Adrian chimed up 'Ok let's hear it, what was that all about?' He demanded. 'What was what all about?' I asked feigning confusion, I knew I was being cruel but he was so desperate I couldn't resist torturing him first. I would tell him eventually I thought to myself. 'Cut the crap Hathaway, I demand to know what is going on.' He said it with conviction but you could also hear the desperation in his voice.

'Fine' I caved 'I told Liss about Dimitri and I and she must have told Christian. That was his way of making me squirm I suppose.' 'I guessed as much, but what does Alberta have to do with you and Dimitri?' He asked intrigue all over his face. 'Don't tell me you decided on a little ménage a trois with your tutors?' 'Get your mind out of the gutter Ivashkov, the truth is much worse anyway' I replied and his ears instantly perked up. 'Let me hear it then' he asked eagerly. 'I think you're enjoying this too much Ivashkov' I scolded him tauntingly. 'Oh come on the suspense is killing me.' He declared as we reached my room.

'Very well but come inside last thing I need is for someone to overhear us.' I said leading him inside, he obliged willing and sat on my bed ready for my admission. 'Well what happened is... How do I put this...?' I pondered. 'Just spit it out little dhampir.' Adrian all but shouted at me then slapped his hand in front of his mouth and gave me a pleading look insinuating he regretted his outburst. 'Alberta caught me and Dimitri in a very compromising position' I blurted out at the speed of light. His eyes widened with shock and he automatically burst into a fit of hysterics. 'What…You…Mean...You…Got...Caught...Getting…It…On...With...Your...Mentor…By…Petrov.' He eventually managed to get out in between laughing.

I glared at Adrian 'If you don't stop laughing I am going to hurt you Ivashkov.' I threatened him only half joking. Luckily for him I was distracted from my raging temper when there was a knock at the door. 'You wanna thank whoevers at the door for your pretty face still been in one piece.' I told Adrian as I went to open the door. He had just about regained his composure and stopped laughing by this point, finally.

I opened the door to find a 6 foot 7 Russian god staring intensely into my eyes, at that any last remnants of Adrian's laughter came to an abrupt stop. I managed to tear myself away from Dimitri's eyes and looked towards Adrian. His body language has slumped and his face looked kind of sad, it obviously hurt him to see me with Dimitri, I gave him a sympathetic smile.

Dimitri had also picked up on the tension and decided to break the awkward silence. 'Hello Rose, Lord Ivashkov' he said with a slight nod of his head. 'Is this a bad time?'

'No it's fine' Adrian answered before I could. 'I was leaving anyway. I've got a date with a feeder and then my friend Jack. Goodbye Rose, Guardian Belikov.' With that he was gone so fast I didn't get chance to say goodbye back.

'Jack?' Dimitri questioned. 'Yeah, Jack Daniels,' I answered soberly. Dimitri gestured in understanding but never commented further. The atmosphere was still tense following our encounter and I hated it, I was used to everything been so natural and relaxed with Dimitri. I went across to him and hugged him, he wrapped his arms around me and returned my embrace, and with that any awkwardness disappeared.

'So is this visit business or pleasure?' I asked seductively, fluttering my eyelashes. 'It's always a pleasure to visit you my Roza.' He answered before bringing his lips to mine.

He pulled away from me before we could get carried away which caused me to curse internally. 'What's the matter? Don't tell me you want to stay away from me till Graduation? I asked almost pleading. He locked gazes with me and I felt like I was getting lost in his perfect eyes. 'Roza it's just as difficult for me to stay away from you as it is for you, but we do need to be extra careful. And now is not the time I have a shift starting in ten minutes. I just came by to ask you what you were planning on doing after graduation.'

Hum not what I was expecting I thought to myself. 'I don't know yet Comrade, apart from the obvious of spending the rest of my life with the man I love without having to hide.' I responded. 'I love to hear you say those words Roza.' He said before kissing me passionately.

'Well I was thinking after graduations over and we can finally proclaim our love, I'd like to take you to Russia and introduce you to my family. It seems only fitting that they would be the first people I tell about us. That is if you want to go?' He asked after we'd finally broken our kiss.

Well that was totally unexpected and a little overwhelming. 'I really like that idea Comrade but what if they don't like me?' I asked sheepishly.

'Don't be silly Roza they will love you, they already love to hear me speak of you.' He answered.

'You talk to your family about me?' I gushed. 'Do they know about us?'

'I haven't told them anything specific but I think they know yes. They've noticed that I constantly talk about you and have mentioned how they love the fact I seem to be a little less unsociable nowadays and they put that down to you I think. So they already love that about you, how could they not love you?'

'In that case I would love to go with you to Russia' I replied. I was still nervous as hell about the prospect of meeting Dimitri's family but I knew how important his family were to him and that he must be dying to tell them about us. So in true Rose Hathaway style I tried to mask my insecurity with a witty comment. 'Besides telling your parents can't be as difficult as when we have to tell my mum surely.'

I felt Dimitri stiffen slightly beside me. 'Telling my family will be easy, they will eagerly welcome you into our family with open arms, I'm sure of it. Your mother on the other hand may react a little differently about our relationship,' he added.

'Don't worry Comrade we could always call her from Russia and fill her in' I giggled. 'How much damage can she do from another continent?'

'That's what planes are for Roza' he joked.

'I hope you're not insinuating my mother would abandon her charge to follow her daughter to the other end of the world just to show her distain at my actions. Don't be silly she'd have to care to do that.' I retorted sombrely.

At that I felt Dimitri's arms tighten around me. 'I'm sure she does care about you Roza and I know she must have had to make some difficult decisions given her circumstances. I'm confident she did what she thought was best for you even if you don't agree.' He said trying to appease me. Well I certainly didn't agree that's for sure but I didn't want to argue so I hugged him tighter and tried to let go of the residual anger burning within me.

He pulled away from me leaving my body feeling empty at the loss of his touch. 'I have to go now Roza to start my shift. Thank you for agreeing to accompany me to Russia.' He said his mouth forming a smile at the end of the sentence. It was so rare for him to smile properly and he looked damn sexy when he did.

He smile must have been infectious as it forced my own mouth into a wide smile. 'I would accompany you anywhere if it meant being by your side' I answered him honestly. He gave me a chaste kiss before leaving to start his shift.

So I guess we would be venturing off to Russia together and if I was being completely honest that thought evoked a very mixed reaction from me. Part of me was ecstatic that he wanted to tell his family about us and that we were going away together but the other side of me was terrified of what his family would think. I consoled myself with the fact that at least we would finally be allowed to be together with that my broad smile returned.

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	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

**Hope you enjoy this chapter, i've included a couple of different POV's, let me know what you think.**

**Enjoy!**

After Dimitri had left I was trying to pass the time in my room when suddenly I felt a build-up of tension in my chest and I wasn't sure what was causing it. Maybe it was my fears over our trip to Russia and meeting the Belikovs, or talking about my mother and the feelings that awaked in me, or maybe Lissa had been using a lot of magic and this was the resulting darkness. It could be a mixture of all of these things but one thing I did know was that it wasn't good and I needed to let go of it quickly but the question was how?

I checked the bond and Lissa was in her room alone, revising, nothing sinister was going on there. I thought about going to see her but the tension was really starting to overwhelm me so I decided I was best staying away from her and my other friends until I could get myself under control.

This feeling had come out of nowhere, there was no rhyme or reason for it and I could feel myself losing my self-control, a burning anger was rising within me and taking over me. I wasn't even sure what I was angry about and this rage was really starting to piss me off when suddenly before I realised what I was doing I picked up a vase on my desk throw it against the wall furthest away from me. This caused an almighty smashing sound as the vase shattered into a hundred pieces.

Shit this wasn't good, unsure of what to do I quickly but on my workout gear and ran full pelt to the running track maybe some laps would help to relieve me of this anger.

When I arrived I saw the track was clear which was lucky for me, last thing I needed was someone seeing me putting in extra laps voluntarily they'd know something was up with me.

I just kept running round and round long since losing count of my laps but I was aware it must have been a lot. This wasn't making me feel any better in fact if anything I was getting worse, this anger was making it hard for me to breath. It felt similar to the situation with Jesse when Lissa's darkness had taken over me but different. There was no outlet this time, I didn't know how to get rid of it, before I needed to hurt Jesse but now I didn't know what I needed to do. It was suffocating me and I had no idea how to pull myself free, it was just getting stronger and stronger until eventually there would be nothing left of me to fight it.

I decided to go into the gym and try and release some of my frustration on the punching dummies. As I walked towards the gym and then pulled out the dummies I could feel how sore I was and it was obvious I had done to many laps and needed rest but I couldn't stop, I needed to get this anger out of me.

I attacked the dummy punching and kicking it erratically, there was no sign of my usual controlled technique just raw and unbridled frustration. I kept doing this until I literally couldn't kick it anymore my legs were in too much pain but still unprepared to give in I still kept punching it left hook, right hook. I could feel moisture on my fists probably sweat and a little voice in the back of my mind was telling me to stop and I wanted to listen I truly did, but I just couldn't.

I heard the gym door open and I wanted to acknowledge whoever had entered but it was impossible to stop, nothing else mattered anymore, nothing else mattered.

'Yo Hathaway,' I heard Eddies voice from the other end of the gym. 'What's up with you putting in extra practice? Don't tell me you're afraid I might actually beat you now I'm in on your private sessions.' I could hear his voice getting closer but still couldn't tear myself away from the dummy no matter how hard I tried. Suddenly his voice lost all his humour and he ran to my side.

'What the bloody hell is going on? Rose what are you doing? Look at the state of you' He shouted at me panic dripping from his voice. I had no idea what I looked like but I could tell from Eddie's reaction it couldn't be good. I tried with every fibre of my being to drag myself out of this state and move away from the dummy, to tell Eddie I was ok. It was no use I couldn't do it, I was the fury's puppet and there was nothing I could do about it.

'It's no use, I can't fight it anymore, I've lost myself.' I sobbed desperately to myself more than Eddie, never looking away from the dummy or stopping hitting it repeatedly. The practice dummy was all blurry to me thanks to the tears that had filled my eyes, I never let anyone see me cry but I wasn't myself anymore.

'Oh no you don't, you can't give up, not after everything we've been through, not after Spokane. Let me help you' Eddie snapped conviction in his voice. Then he tried to grab my arms from behind to pull me away from the dummy and something inside me flipped. I evaded his grip and turned to face him and then I punched him in the face, I heard a loud crack and Eddie went flying across the room. I looked down at myself and saw the sorry state I was in there was blood everywhere, I could feel the tears which stained my face and I was in pain everywhere.

I fell to the floor in a crumpled mess assuming the fetal position. I realised what I had done to Eddie and what I had become. I started banging my head violently against the ground, I was aware that I was repeatedly chanting 'I don't deserve to live anymore.' Then I saw Eddie get to his feet and run to the door shouting 'I'm going to get you some help Rose, you're going to be fine, hold on for me.' Thank God Eddie is alright was my last coherent thought before darkness took me and I was unconscious.

**EPOV**

What the hell was that? What had I just seen? Questions were spinning around my head and I could feel the pain in my face, I had a broken nose and possibly a broken cheek. But all that mattered was that I got Rose the help she needed and fast. I was so preoccupied by my frantic thoughts that I ran straight into Guardian Petrov.

'Mr Castile what are you doing?' she asked angrily then her voice became concerned. 'What happened to your face?' Worry adorned her face.

'It's Rose' I managed to gasp between breaths. 'You have to help her, she's in the gym, I tried to help her but there was nothing I could do.' Tears were spilling from my eyes as I tried to make Alberta grasp the severity of the situation.

Her face showed me she understood. 'I will go to her at once' she responded. 'Eddie go and find Guardian Belikov he is on duty and should be near the moroi dorms. Tell him to meet me at the gym at once, tell him it's Rose.' I nodded in understanding and with that she was gone and I ran as fast as I could to Guardian Belikov. Maybe those laps would be beneficial after all.

I reached the moroi dorms and searched desperately for Guardian Belikov I was about half way around the dorms when I saw a tall figure in the distance. He was right at the other end of the block and even with my heightened dhampir eyesight I still couldn't make out his features but the silhouette was so tall it had to be him. I picked up speed and ran towards him leaving me breathless when I actually got to him. His eyes went wide with shock when he took in my appearance and he stood there silently waiting for me to catch my breath.

'Guardian Petrov has sent me to tell you to meet her at the gym immediately, it's Rose.' He then started running towards the gym before I could finish. 'Let the other Guardians know to arrange cover and get to the infirmary and get your face checked out.' I heard him order as he ran off into the distance.

That was odd I thought to myself he seemed to panic the second I mentioned Rose's name and didn't even let me explain before he was off. In fact why had Alberta even requested I fetch him? She hadn't even seen Rose or known what was wrong with her. I wonder why she thought Guardian Belikov should be present? Although I suppose he is her mentor.

Please let Rose be ok I prayed as I ran to the guardian quarters to get a replacement for Belikov. I'll go and check on her after I've had my face seen; I just wish I'd have done more. If it was the other way around she'd have helped me, like she did in Spokane. I quickly dissolved those thoughts now was not the time, I had to stay strong for Rose.

**DPOV**

My shift was dragging a little there had been no activity to deal with and since all I wanted to do was see Rose it felt like an eternity until my shift was over and I'd be able to. I forced myself back into guardian mode and started scouring the perimeters again when I saw one of the novices running towards me and he was pretty bloody like he had been in a fight.

As he got closer I recognised him as Eddie Castile, he was a friend of Roses and had been at our training session this morning I also noticed the severity of his injuries. I was quite shocked from what I heard this guy had huge potential one of the best novices at the academy like my Roza. Whoever had inflicted this damage had to be dangerous so I was on high alert, preparing for the worst.

After he eventually caught his breath he explained Alberta wanted me at the gym now, which was strange since I was on duty but at least I knew it wasn't strigoi or he would have said. Then he said it was my Roza and my world collapsed around me, I had to know what had happened with her but I couldn't wait around while Eddie explained. Instead I just took off, who cares what it looked like to the novice I had to get to my Roza, I had to know she was ok. As I ran I told him to arrange cover for me and see a doctor then my mind tortured me with all the things that could have happened to her whilst I wasn't there to protect her.

I made it to the gym in record time and pushed the door open the sight that greeted me stopped me in my tracks my Roza all battered and bloodied laid on the floor unconscious in a pool of her own blood. Alberta was hovering over her repeatedly saying her name in an attempt to wake her up but to no avail. I noticed the damaged practice dummy which was blood-stained and I could see Roza had a head wound which was where the puddle of blood was emanating from.

'She hasn't regained consciousness since I've been here; the doctor is on his way.' Alberta informed me. By now I was at Roses side stroking her face gently, I was incensed the doctor hadn't arrived already, didn't they realise my Roza needed urgent attention now. I was about to pick her up and carry her to the clinic myself when Alberta stopped me. 'No Dimitri you can't move her, not with that head wound.'

'What the hell happened here exactly?' I roared not at anyone in particular I knew Alberta probably didn't have all the answers. 'I'm not entirely sure' Alberta confirmed. 'We'll ask Eddie Castile after he's been checked over. To the best of my knowledge he was the only other person present.'

I wanted to argue and demand answers now but Alberta was right Eddie needed to get checked over first. We both knew he had nothing to do with these injuries, if anything I had a feeling Rose may have had something to do with his facial injuries but we'd deal with that later once we knew she was going to be alright.

Just then two doctors walked in and hurried over to Rose they asked Alberta and I to step aside which I didn't want to do but Alberta gave me a silent pleading look so I obeyed. I could tell she knew this was difficult for me and I could see genuine concern in her eyes too. She gave me a small smile then looked back to Rose, I was very grateful she had alerted me of the situation straight away.

The doctors moved Roses limp body onto a stretcher, she looked so vulnerable and helpless and I wasn't used to seeing her like that. I was praying she would open her eyes and tell me she was fine as I fought back the tears threatening to betray me. She was going to be ok, she had to be. I couldn't live without her.

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	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

**Hope you all enjoy**

**I do NOT own Vampire Academy - I keep forgetting to write that, oops.**

DPOV

They had taken Rose to the infirmary and put her in a private room, then they had insisted me and Alberta wait in the corridor as we were not immediate family. I wanted to explode how could they keep me away from my Roza but I knew she was the priority and so somehow I managed to keep myself under control. That doctor will never know how lucky he was.

I had called Lissa as soon as we were escorted to the corridor and explained the situation to her. She had immediately burst into a fit of hysterics over the phone and told me she was on her way. For purely selfish reasons I wanted Rose all to myself when she came round but I knew Rose would want to see Lissa. I was also hoping deep down that Lissa may be able to do that healing thing to Rose. I know Rose said the resulting darkness effected Lissa badly and I had seen what it could do to Rose but right now I was a selfish, desperate man and I would do anything to have my Roza be well.

What if she doesn't wake up? A little voice in my head dared to utter, that is not an option, I roared to myself, venom dripping from my internal words. Then I was pulled back to reality as a hysterical Lissa burst through the doors and she'd brought Adrian Ivashkov with her, fantastic.

'Where is she? Where is Rose?' she was shouting frantically. She saw me and came straight over and Ivashkov reluctantly followed. 'Is she going to be ok?' She asked me. 'Which room is she in? Why aren't you with her?' She blurted out not giving me chance answer, she looked terrible and I could tell by how she was addressing me Rose must have told her about us.

'She's in that room' I said pointing to her room. 'They won't let anyone who isn't immediate family into her room and they haven't been very forth coming with updates on her condition. She didn't look good when I got to her in the gym and last time a doctor spoke to us he said they were trying to stabilise her but we haven't heard anything since.' I told them sombrely.

'What happened to her?' Adrian asked me. 'I just don't know.' I answered him honestly, feeling like a total failure. I didn't care much for Ivashkov mainly because of his feelings for Rose but I knew he was a good person. As I looked into his eyes I saw a look I recognised, it was sympathy, it was mixed with looks of panic and fear and I gave him my best attempt at a reassuring smile.

The Princess's behaviour was becoming more and more erratic and she was starting to become more and more unbalanced as I was conversing with Adrian. 'I need to see her right now!' she demanded. This caused Alberta to join us from her seat and she put her hand on Lissa's shoulder and tried to calm her. Adrian meanwhile looked at Lissa and then at me 'I'll see what I can do' he said as he rushed off.

What the hell did that mean, what could he do? I thought to myself raging internally. Lissa was still frantically demanding to see Rose and much as Alberta tried it was having little calming effect on her. Alberta and I glanced at her and then at each other, she was in such a state but there was nothing we could do. A part of me was secretly wishing I hadn't told her what was going on and I could tell by Alberta's reaction she was thinking the same thing.

Suddenly Lissa retreated away from Alberta and throw herself at me; she wrapped her arms around me and enveloped me into a hug. To say I was shocked was an understatement, my hands were still by my sides and I had not returned the hug, this was too close for comfort. She raised her head and looked at me with her teary eyes. 'She's going to be alright isn't she? I don't know how I'll go on if anything happens to her.' She said in a pleading voice the tears in her eyes had spilled over onto her cheeks. I raised one of my arms and rested my hand on the centre of her back so I was half returning her hug. 'Rose is a fighter, you know that.' I told her trying to reassure her. I knew I was avoiding her question because it would destroy me to answer it. What if she wasn't alright?

Alberta must have sensed my obvious discomfort at the situation as she took Lissa from me and hugged her herself. 'Thank you' I mouthed silently to her and she nodded in response. Then Ivashkov graced us with his presence again. 'We can go in and see Rose' he informed us. How the hell had he managed that? I thought to myself, it just compiled how useless I felt but I eagerly rushed at the opportunity to see my Roza. 'How did you get us entrance?' I asked him as when entered the room. 'Sometimes it pays to have family in high places' was his response.

Alberta had stayed outside so as not to overfill the room so it was just the three of us. On entry I was devastated by my Roza's body lying there bloody and lifeless with a hundred machines attached to her. I was at her side in an instant holding her hand, I could hear Lissa sobbing hysterically and Adrian trying to comfort her and I could feel my own traitorous tears falling down my face.

'Step aside Dimitri' I heard Lissa order me. 'No…what?' I asked perplexed. 'She's going to heal her' Adrian confirmed. Part of me wanted to object because I knew Rose wouldn't want Lissa putting herself in potential danger but right now I was a broken man and I desperately needed Rose so I simply stepped aside.

Lissa put her hands over Rose and started to heal her whilst I just stood and watched and prayed. Lissa then stepped back, obviously woozy from using her magic and I had to quickly catch her before she fell. Adrian took her from me and told me he was taking her outside to find her somewhere to rest, I could hear her protests but he lead her out anyway and she didn't have the strength to fight him.

I then turned my attention to Rose just as her eyes flickered open, she looked disorientated for a second and then she turned and looked at me. I could have fallen to my knees literally I was so relieved but there was no time to dwell. 'Dimitri' she croaked hoarsely. 'I'm here my love; I'll never leave you again.' I assured her as I made my way to her side, where I belonged.

RPOV

Since the blackness had overtaken me I had found myself sat in the middle of an endless field I could see nothing but grass and the occasional daisy and when I looked up the sky was so blue and the sun was so bright. It was picturesque, perfect really. I wasn't sure how long I'd been here but it was too long, one could only spend a certain amount of time looking at idyllic surroundings before one's mind went insane. Through my time just sitting here I had recalled everything that had happened to me leading up to my being here. First the ever consuming fury and my relentless need to get rid of it, but what was really dominating my thoughts was Eddie, how could I have done that to Eddie?

Just as I was about to torture myself once more for my actions, the perfect scenery started to fade, I tried to blink to get everything back in focus but when I opened my eyes I was no longer in the perfect field I was in a hospital room. I turned my head to try and gather my bearings and that's when I saw him, his appearance was far more breath-taking than any field I had been in. 'Dimitri' I said his name, my voice sounding groggy like I needed a glass of water. 'I'm here my love; I'll never leave you again.' He answered reassuringly and then he was at my side my hand was in his and for a split second everything felt right with the world again.

The perfectness was shattered when I felt a drip of water hit my arm and I turned to see it was one of his tears. I had never seen him cry until right now, his cheeks were raining tears he'd been crying so much. I felt a knot in my stomach, I had caused this, I had caused his tears, what kind of a person did that make me. 'I'm sorry…I'm so very sorry' I cried.

I felt his lips on my cheeks kissing away my tears. 'Please tell me you're ok my milaya' he said between kisses. 'I'm fine' I answered him. 'Then you have nothing to apologise for' he told me. And then he brought his lips to mine and kissed me passionately. I responded at first but then I pulled away realising I didn't deserve him, he looked hurt.

'What's the matter dear Roza, is it me? Did I cause this?' he asked looking horrified with himself. 'No, no, no, no, no!' I insisted the last no was a shriek only dogs could hear. He looked hurt and afraid, like he wanted to help me but didn't know what to do. 'It's not you, it's me. I don't deserve this not after everything I have done…to you and to Eddie and to everyone else.' I cried.

'To me? What have you done to me?' He asked looking genuinely confused. 'Don't pretend like those tears aren't from everything I've put you through with my heinous actions.' I scolded. 'I just couldn't control it, the anger, it just consumed me.' I added on trying to explain.

His eyes looked truly pained now as he gripped my hand tighter. 'These are tears of happiness. I'm so happy you're ok Roza. Now please you have to tell me exactly what happened.' He told me almost forcefully.

'What about Eddie, How's Eddie?' I asked avoiding his question, knowing Eddie must hate me. 'Eddie will be fine, he has a couple of facial injuries which he's getting checked out but he'll be fine. Mostly he was just worried for you.' Dimitri explained. At that I burst into tears again, after everything I'd done to him he was worried about me. I don't deserve these people in my life.

'Did you do that to Eddie?' Dimitri asked calmly and I just nodded in response, tears evacuating my eyes at the speed of light. He slowly got up and laid next to me on the bed pulling my body to his. 'Tell me what happened Roza' he said and everything came pouring out of me.

Once I had finished telling him everything I dropped my head afraid he would hate me now he knew what a terrible person I was. Instead he pulled me closer and brought our lips together into a gentle loving kiss. 'It's ok now Roza, your safe now. I promise I won't let anything like this happen to you again.' He cooed in an attempt to comfort me and although I knew he shouldn't have made that promise, it did comfort me.

'I love you' he told me. 'And I love you, but you better move into the chair because if anyone walks in were screwed.' I told him and he moved.

**Please Review, Thanks**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

**I do NOT own Vampire Academy.**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter, just wanted to say thanks to all my wonderful readers and my greatly appreciated reviews.**

Me and Dimitri were sitting in my in my hospital room, well he was sitting I was laying in the bed when next thing I knew the door flew open and Lissa came charging towards me. 'Oh Rose please tell me you're ok, don't you ever do that to me again.' She cried as she hurtled into me wrapping her arms around me into a vice like moroi grip. 'I'm fine Liss, or at least I was. I might have a few broken ribs now.' I joked dramatically rubbing my side feigning injury. She then playfully hit me in ribs. 'Very funny Rose.'

I looked at the door she had entered and noticed Christian, Adrian and Eddie had all followed her in. Dimitri stood up and explained he was going to go and see Alberta; he gave me a quick hug and whispered that he would explain what I had told him to her, then he left.

I looked at all my friends before me, tears filling my eyes once again. 'Eddie I'm so sorry.' I sobbed, I allowed myself to look at the damaged I'd caused but when I did his face was clear. Lissa must have healed him, but that wasn't the point I had still inflicted those wounds. 'Don't worry about it Rose it'll take more than a broken nose to keep me down and besides Lissa's healed me. See, all better' he said. 'I know you weren't yourself Rose I could see it in your eyes, I'm just glad to see you're ok.' He added.

With that all my friends made their way over to me, Liss and Adrian sat on my bed with me whilst Christian and Eddie each took a chair. 'Tell us what happened Rose' Lissa eventually requested. And for the second time today I bared my soul and explained everything, man all this talking really took it out of a girl.

Everyone looked shocked to say the least and I knew it must have been difficult for some of them to understand. 'Well like I said before I'm just glad to have you back Rose, I don't know what was possessing you before but it sure scared the hell out of me.' Eddie commented honestly. 'What like you're not terrified of me normally Eddo, how many times have I handed you your ass on a plate?' I joked back. He laughed 'When you gonna be training again? I wouldn't want you putting the ass whooping I'm gonna give you next time were in combat class down to recovery from your manic breakdown.' He retaliated.

Typical Eddie wondering when I would be back to training again, he always was the true professional. I turned my mouth into a frown to make it look like his comment had hit a nerve. 'Awww, sorry Rose, Too soon?' Eddie said apologetically. 'Sucker' I said with a gigantic smile on my face to let him know he'd been had and we both started laughing again.

It was then that I noticed Lissa had tears pouring down her face and she was shaking her head like she couldn't accept something. 'Liss what's wrong?' I asked concerned. 'This is all my fault' she yelled back. Not what I was expecting.

'What's your fault? Eddies impending butt kicking' I said. In true Rose Hathaway style I was trying to diffuse the situation with a joke. She didn't laugh she just stared at me and through the bond asked if we could talk privately.

'Right I don't mean to be rude guys and I'm grateful for you all coming but I need to speak to Liss alone, if you wouldn't mind a mass exodus would be appreciated' I told everyone. 'I thought that was what the bond was for.' Christian responded sarcastically. He always had to have a say. 'Shut it sparky and get out. While you're at it why don't you ask Eddie what I do to people who piss me off?' I mocked and with that he and Eddie walked out laughing.

'Are you deaf Adrian or just drunk? I asked you to leave, I'll only ask politely once you know.' I joked with him. 'You never asked politely little dhampir and in answer to your question I'm neither. I think I need to be here while Lissa explains this.' He said matter of factly. This sounded ominous.

'Come on then Liss let's hear it' I prompted her. 'Well you see the thing is for the past few days, after what happened with Jesse, me and Adrian have been practicing with spirit and obviously the darkness must have infected you and driven you crazy again.' She blurted out breaking down.

'Liss you two are always practicing with spirit and the darkness always seeps into me, what happened earlier wasn't the result of a little residual darkness. I told you that with Jesse was different I sucked massive amounts of darkness from you because you were using dark magic. Healing a couple of plants with Adrian is hardly the same thing.' I teased

'No Rose, Lissa is right it wasn't a normal practice session. We were practicing using spirit offensively to protect ourselves, we were both pretty drained after our sessions from using so much magic and when I looked and Lissa's aura it was black, then suddenly it wasn't anymore. You must have taken the darkness away without realising it and that's what brought on your psychotic fit.' Adrian explained.

Wow this was a lot to take in, I could see Lissa's worried face begging me to say something and I could feel her begging me for forgiveness through the bond. 'Look guys-' I began before Liss cut me off. 'No Rose don't try to explain this away it was my fault I except full responsibility. That's why I am going to start taking these.' She said handing me a packet of anti-depressant medication.

'Are you sure Liss? I know how important your magic is to you. I know first-hand how good it makes you feel when you use it remember.' I reminded her. 'I do love being able to tap into my magic and the feelings it gives me when I use it and I won't lie and tell you it won't be difficult to be cut off from it. But Rose I love you more and if this is going to help you then I'll do it. Once you become my guardian you'll be laying down your life for me so think of this as my thank you to you, although I'll always be indebted to you. This time Rose _you come first.'_ Lissa said determined.

With that I started crying yet again, I've never cried so much in my entire life. Why couldn't I stop myself? 'Thank you so much Liss it really means a lot to me and I promise that we'll search for another way to control the darkness so your hiatus from magic won't be permanent. Agreed?' I sobbed. 'Agreed' she replied and then we were hugging again whilst Adrian stood to the side and watched with a grin on his face. 'Who said there was no such thing as a happy ending?' He ridiculed.

Just as our emotional chat had come to an end and both Lissa and I had cried until there were no more tears to weep there was a knock at the door and Dimitri walked in. He looked straight into my eyes which I gauged by his reaction must still be bloodshot and puffy from all the crying.

'Ok I think it's time for everyone to leave, Rose needs her rest. You can come back tomorrow; I've already spoken to Lord Ozera and Eddie there waiting outside for you two.' He said in a very authoritive voice. With that we said our goodbyes and they left promising to return first thing tomorrow morning.

'Do I really have to stay in here tonight? I mean Liss has healed all my wounds so there's nothing physically wrong with me anymore and I hate this place.' I moaned to Dimitri. 'Afraid so they just want to monitor you tonight and you can leave tomorrow, there just airing on the side of caution that's all. If you think it will help I'll stay with you tonight' he offered.

'Hell yeah it will help but I still want it noted that you are keeping me here against my will.' I teased.

'Yeah well physically you may be fine but mentally I'm not so sure, your breakdown really scared the hell out of me Roza.' He told me with concern. 'Yeah well I think I know what caused it and even better we've come up with a temporary solution until we can find a permanent one which will hopefully stop it from happening again.' I explained excitedly.

His face lit up at that 'we've?' he questioned curiously. I then proceeded to tell him about what Lissa and I had discussed.

After I'd finished he seemed a little more relaxed about the whole situation which I was glad about but all this talking had really taken it out of me and I was beat. I was battling to keep my eyes open as yawn after yawn escaped my mouth. 'Sleep my beautiful Roza.' Dimitri told me. 'You promise you'll be here when I wake up, you won't leave me?' I questioned sleepily. 'Never Roza I'll never leave you again, I love you' he answered. 'And I love you' I told him.

With that he brought his lips to mine in a passionate kiss.

'Well excuse me' came I booming voice from the doorway. 'Get away from my daughter!' She screeched.

Oh my God I thought to myself as Dimitri shot back but never left my side, not this again. Then I looked into the furious eyes of my mother Janine Hathaway who was glaring at Dimitri, you could practically see the steam coming out of her ears.

**Please review.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

**Hope you enjoy.**

**I do NOT own Vampire Academy.**

My mother stood in the doorway fury etched across her face. She looked angrier than me under the influence of magical darkness, this couldn't end well.

'Look mum-' I tried to explain but she cut me off, she was focusing all her attention on Dimitri. 'Quiet Rosemary. What the hell have I just walked in on? Belikov you are meant to be my daughter's teacher so either the curriculum has altered drastically or you're taking advantage of my underage daughter.' She fumed at Dimitri.

'It's a little late for parental concern mother, eighteen years too late.' I scolded her and for the first time she pulled her attention away from Dimitri to focus on me.

'No Rose I'm not eighteen years too late because you're not eighteen. That's the problem.' She spat back at me.

'If you'd just let me explain mother, maybe you'd understand' I tried to appeal to her.

'Let you explain Rosemary, let you explain…' she spluttered flabbergasted. 'How about Guardian Belikov explains his definition of statutory rape.' Her face was twisted in disgust and it was obvious she wouldn't listen to reason.

Dimitri stepped forward noticing she wasn't listening to a word I was saying. 'Guardian Hathaway if I may' he offered.

'Well apparently nothing normally stops you so let's hear it and it better be good.' She shrieked.

'I know how this must look to you Guardian Hathaway but I truly love your daughter and I can assure you neither of us planned this. We tried to stay away from each other but it was futile because we love one another.' He tried to explain to her.

'I love him more than anything mum and he makes me happy, we haven't done anything wrong.' I added trying to reiterate Dimitri's point.

'Oh yeah tell that to the judge' my mum spewed obviously still livid.

Just as it looked like all hope was lost with her and things couldn't get any worse Alberta walked in. Bloody fantastic I thought to myself.

'Did you know about this Guardian Petrov? That a member of your staff is taking advantage of my daughter whilst she's attending you academy? I am going to tear him limb from limb.' My mum threatened and took a step towards Dimitri.

'Actually Guardian Hathaway I did know about it and I would prefer it if you refrained from threatening any members of my faculty. Now why don't you accompany me to my office where you can calm down and we can discuss this properly?' Alberta suggested calmly.

My mum was gobsmacked her expression changed from furious to stunned in seconds. 'As you wish Guardian Petrov but I want to make it abundantly clear that I am not happy about this situation.' My mum replied.

I think the only reason she agreed was because she was so shocked. Then they turned to leave, Alberta looked back at us with a expression that said 'how could you let yourselves be caught again?' We both dropped our heads like naughty schoolchildren.

After they had left we both chastised ourselves for being so clumsy before I somehow managed to fall asleep. I was awakened by the sound of hushed voices, I established they belonged to Dimitri and Alberta and realised she was telling him how careless he was to get caught again. So I decided to keep pretending to be asleep I didn't need a lecture right now.

'Honestly Dimitri your guardian instincts are second to none and yet when it comes to the tiny detail of protecting your personal secrets you continually flaunt your relationship for all to walk in on.' She scolded.

'I know it was careless of me, I cannot believe I allowed this to happen again after you were so reasonable before.-' He suddenly stopped mid-way through his apology and I could only assume Alberta had cut him off.

'Save it Belikov, I swear there are teenagers with more self-preservation than you. I understand that there are extenuating circumstances and you have been worried sick about Rose but for God sakes man control yourself or at least lock the door.' She snapped.

'Do you think Guardian Hathaway will keep this to herself?' Dimitri asked Alberta. I could hear the strain in his voice; he didn't like putting Alberta in this position.

'She is still on the warpath but I somehow convinced her to sleep on it before she does anything drastic. I don't think that will be enough though so I have called in the only person I know capable of taming the mighty Janine Hathaway. I called Ibrahim Mazur.' She stated.

I heard Dimitri gasp but no more words were spoken and I could only assume they were having a silent conversation. Then I heard the door open and close.

'You can open your eyes now Roza' Dimitri prompted. Damn I thought to myself he'd known all this time I was awake and why had it gone cryptic suddenly when Alberta mentioned this Ibrahim person?

'How did you know?' I asked not bothering to deny it. 'I always know when it comes to you and besides I heard your breathing pattern change which gave you away.' He explained.

Damn breathing. 'Who is Ibrahim what's his face?' I asked him. He just tutted and shook his head at me. 'It is very rude to eavesdrop Roza. Now do you want to recap on everything you've already heard or would be like to get out of here?' He asked smiling.

I knew he was avoiding the question but I also knew he wasn't going to tell me anyway so I took the bait happy to be leaving this hell hole. 'Let's go Comrade.' I answered already heading for the door. 'How come they changed their minds about discharging me tonight?' I questioned curious.

'They didn't, it's morning, you slept for like ten hours Roza.' Dimitri informed me as we left my hospital room. Just then I saw the doctor approach us. 'Leaving so soon? You know you single handedly keep me in a job Miss Hathaway?' the Doctor mused.

I rolled my eyes at her 'keep my bed warm for me doc' I retorted. She laughed and then turned into her office.

'My place or yours?' I teased Dimitri. 'Well you are going to your own room to get showered and changed. I'll meet you in the gym in two hours for practice.' He enlightened me with a smug grin on his face.

Then we said a silent goodbye before we parted ways and I proceeded towards my room. I started to get ready as soon as I got to my room, I didn't want to risk being late for training since Alberta would no doubt be joining us again. I was showered and changed in no time and decided to head over to the gym early.

As I was approaching the gym and I noticed the door was slightly ajar and I could hear two sets of voices. So for the second time today I started listening in, only this time more stealthily. I stayed far enough from the door to make sure Dimitri couldn't hear me breath but luckily my uber dhampir senses could still hear every word perfectly. I soon realised that the voices I could hear belonged to Dimitri and Natasha Ozera. What did that bitch want?

I had never forgiven her for trying to steal Dimitri from me even though he had refused her offer to be her guardian and she didn't know about us I still despised her.

'Tasha good to see you. What brings you to the academy?' Dimitri asked his voice confirming he was in fact happy to see her.

'I do have a nephew attending this academy you know' she reminded him. Great so I had sparky to thank for her being here.

'Of course you do, I am just surprised to see you so soon after your previous visit is all.' Dimitri explained.

'Well with the attack and everything I thought I should check on Christian now' Tasha elaborated.

'Of course, I should have realised' Dimitri answered. The conversation continued like this a little longer with me having to restrain myself every time she made polite chitchat or laughed at something he said. Then I stopped internally fake gaging and my ears perked up suddenly at something she said.

'You know Dimka I remember what you said last time but in light of everything that has happened and the attack I just wanted to say my offer is still on the table.' She told him. My blood started to boil, where did this bitch get off?

The room went silence and even I could sense the tension regardless of the fact I wasn't in the room. 'Thank you again Tasha but I haven't changed my mind. As I explained before it wouldn't be fair, my feelings for you are purely platonic.' He explained to her politely yet firmly.

'I really think you should reconsider Dimka.' She told him and there was no reply. 'Accept my offer Dimka.' She went on and again there was no reply. 'You want to be my guardian, you want to protect me.' She continued sounding like she was telling him rather than asking.

'I will be your guardian, I will protect you.' He repeated weakly more like a question. What the fuck was I hearing? What was he saying?

'You will be my guardian and we will be together and have children.' She almost demanded. At that I felt totally useless that was the one thing I could never give him, I shot to my feet and walked into the gym.

Tasha turned briefly just to see who it was before looking back at Dimitri. 'Oh hey Rose, would you mind giving us a minute? This is kind of private.' She said casually. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I turned to look at Dimitri who had unsurprisingly stayed silent since I entered; he didn't look shocked or guilty like I expected, he looked vacant.

He was looking towards Tasha but didn't appear to be focusing on anything. An emotionless laugh escaped my throat which caused Tasha to involuntarily flinch but she never faltered and Dimitri never moved. He didn't even seem to register the sound. Then it hit me, she was using compulsion on him.

I ran over to them, Dimitri still hadn't shifted from his vacated expression and I slapped Tasha as hard as I could across the face. She was knocked back about two meters from the force and landed on the ground her hand clasping her face.

'You Bitch' I roared anger pouring into my body. This wasn't the relentless anger from before, I knew exactly what was causing this and it was totally justified. I went to attack her again when I felt someone grab me from behind in a tight grip, I couldn't move.

'What are you doing Roza?' Dimitri began but cut his sentence off short. I could feel his warm breath on the back of my neck as he said the words so I knew it was him holding me. He stayed silent for a few seconds probably piecing together what had just happened before he continued.

'How could you?' he demanded, hurt echoing from his voice. He wasn't talking to me anymore he was addressing her. 'I'm sorry Dimka I had to make you see we belong together' she cried. I tensed at her use of her nickname for him and her delusional belief they belonged together. Dimitri must have noticed as he tightened his grip on me but still directed his attention to her.

'You were one of my oldest friends Tasha I cannot believe you would violate me like that. Any trust or respect I held for you has been erased and our friendship is over. I want nothing more to do with you now get out of my sight.' He yelled the hurt in his voice had been replaced with anger. She tried to say something in protest but he silenced her with his hand and she fled the gym in tears.

He was still holding me in a vice like grip; neither of us moved for the first few seconds after she left then he released his hold. I instantaneously turned around and held him in a tight hug which he returned, I started sobbing uncontrollably into his chest and he stroked my hair.

I managed to control myself to get my sobbing under control and we managed to separate ourselves before Alberta and Eddie walked in.

**Please review.**

**Any feedback and storyline suggestions would be appreciated.**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

**Hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

**Please be aware there is more swearing in this chapter, sorry if it offends anyone.**

**I do NOT own Vampire Academy.**

'Rose what's the matter? Why have you been crying?' Alberta asked concerned. 'Trainings cancelled.' Dimitri stated before I could reply. Alberta simply gave a nod of the head and I run out of the gym in floods of tears like the bitch had moments before me.

Dimitri had caught up with me pretty quickly and escorted me to his room. 'Why have you brought me here?' I asked bewildered. 'Because nobody will come looking for you here.' He replied simply.

The memories of our encounter with Tasha came flooding back to me and sobs wracked my chest again. 'I thought you were going to leave me' I cried. 'I thought you were going to take her offer and go off with her and start a family.' I managed to finish despite the sobs.

'Roza I love you, you are my world, do you not understand that?' he asked looking me straight in the eyes. I simply nodded in response. 'Then why would you think that I would leave you?' He pondered sounding almost hurt.

'Because she could give you something I can't, she can give you children.' I cried the last part was barely audible. I turned my head so we no longer had eye contact, too ashamed to look at him. But he brought his index finger to my chin and tilted my head up so once again I was looking at him dead in the eye.

'You are all I want' he told me in a manner that couldn't be argued with.

I thought about my previous concerns, what if one day I wasn't enough? Would he resent me one day for him not having a family? What if one day he regretted this decision? But as I looked into his eyes all my concerns melted away, his look held so much love I knew I had nothing to worry about.

Then he brought his lips to mine in what started out as a gentle, loving kiss and all my tears dried up and were replaced with a feeling of desire. Our kiss quickly escalated into a passionate frenzied make out session. I was desperate for him and no longer content with just our lips touching.

He swooped me up into his arms never breaking our kiss and rushed us over to his bed. Our kiss was only growing in ferocity it was like we both depended on it to survive, I could feel his desire mixed with my own it was electric.

Just as I was starting to get dizzy from the lack of oxygen he broke the kiss and pulled back resting his forehead against my own. His intense gaze was piercing into me and I almost felt shy and a small part of me wanted to look away. It was like he was undressing me with his eyes, his gaze was so unfaltering I felt exposed but I held my ground and stared right back at him. The moment was swallowing us up I was just about to lean in for another kiss when he finally blinked and broke the enchantment.

I went to kiss him and he suddenly held my shoulders signalling for me to stay where I was and pulled his face away. Fuck! I cursed to myself that was not a good sign. He pulled away further still so our faces were an arm's length apart and then he sighed. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I swore again internally, I knew what was coming and I didn't want to hear it.

'No Roza, we can't.' He said firmly the tone of his voice alone telling me that was final.

'But-' I started and he simply held up his hand to silence me. My disappointment was slowly changing to frustration. 'This is a load of shit' I yelled at him quietly if that were even possible. 'And don't you ever hold up your hand up to get me to shut up again like I'm a kid.' I scolded.

'Don't swear Rose' he reprimanded thus tipping me over the edge.

'Stop treating me like I'm a fucking child, you can be the most condescending dick sometimes. What I don't even get a fucking say in anything anymore? Next thing you know you'll be petting me on the head and calling me a good girl like you would a dog.' I raged aware I was starting to sound like a mardy child but he still had no right to treat me as such.

'I am still your mentor Rose' he argued. 'And maybe if you were acting like an adult I'd treat you as one.'

'You know what, fuck you Comrade.' I shouted not bothering to keep the volume down anymore in case anyone heard. Then I left his room slamming the door so hard on my way out that it nearly flew off the hinges. Thus cementing the fact that I was indeed acting like a spoilt unreasonable child, but I didn't care right now.

I fumed to myself all the way back to my room, as I laid on my bed the anger was still festering inside me. How could he treat me like that? All I wanted was for us to be equals but he continues to treat me like an insubordinate pupil.

I decided this was not healthy and I probably shouldn't stay here festering alone anymore so I checked the bond to see what Lissa was doing.

Lessons still hadn't recommenced yet following the attack and Lissa being the swot that she is was sitting at the desk in her room revising. Typical I chuckled to myself before deciding to head over there and ruin her good girl routine.

Field experience hadn't resumed yet either but I had a feeling it wouldn't be much longer now; it had already been nearly week since the attack. Personally I couldn't wait to be glued to Sparky again, oh the joy I tortured myself sarcastically with the thought.

I started knocking on Lissa's door and within three knocks I heard her call that she could hear me and she was coming. She opened the door and stood back a little shocked when she saw me, obviously I wasn't who she was expecting. 'Rose I didn't expect to see you, come in.' She welcomed me happily.

'Aren't you meant to be at practice?' she asked, confusion cloaking her face. 'It got cancelled today as a result of Sparky's crazy Aunt. Did you know that bitch was at the academy?' I quizzed sounding a little more intimidating than I wanted.

'What? Who? Tasha. Yeah I knew she was here, she came to check on Christian after the attack. What does she have to do with anything?' Lissa asked, even more confused.

'She asked Dimitri to be her guardian again and then when he refused she used compulsion on him.' I spat, Lissa face turned shocked as she took in the information. 'What the hell was she thinking? Why would she do that?' Lissa said in a very demanding voice, demanding for her anyway.

'She obviously didn't want to take no for an answer, if I hadn't been there she was about to force him to accept. Until I slapped the taste out of the bitch's mouth.' I said as the anger started to resurface.

'I cannot believe she did that, I'll never be able to look at her the same again,' Lissa fumed. 'Wait, what were you doing there? Oh my God you slapped Tasha, Rose you could get in trouble.'

'Hell yeah I slapped her, I bet her face is still as red as a tomato now and I don't think she'll be reporting the incident considering her own actions. It all happened in the gym I caught it as I arrived early for practice, she must not know about us cause she barely acknowledged my arrival and even had the audacity to ask me to step outside for a minute. I am just so pissed off and now thanks to my emotions being in overdrive me and Dimitri are fighting.' I explained.

'How come you two are arguing? You shouldn't let her get in between you Rose.' Lissa asked sympathetically and I was glad to unburden my chest by sharing the information.

'Well firstly that cow had me on edge and then Dimitri got on his high horse dictating the pace of our relationship and treating me like a kid. He's always so correct all of the time and it pisses me off' I said.

'Care to elaborate Rose?' Lissa offered. 'Not really but I guess if I want your advice I should. Firstly he thinks we should hold of having sex till God knows when, probably graduation, but I never bothered to ask. Then he was talking down to me when I tried to argue my point and he refused to listen.' I pouted already vaguely aware of how petty I sounded.

'Well you guys did get caught, he's just been over cautious and technically Rose it is breaking the law at least until you're eighteen. If you try to look at things from his prospective he's probably just trying to make the correct choices because he's the adult and God knows you won't. It's not because he doesn't want to be with you' she declared, I knew she was right and so didn't reply.

'And as for him treating you like a child, Rose were you acting like a child by any chance?' Lissa added with a knowing smile.

'Maybe' I snapped. 'I've been such an idiot; he must think I'm some foolish teenager. What if he changes his mind about us because of my stupid behaviour?' I almost cried, suddenly it hit me just how pathetic I had been and I started to panic I might have scared Dimitri off.

'Don't panic Rose. Remember after all is said and done you are a foolish teenager, he knows that so he has to make allowances occasionally. I know you want him to see you as his equal but right now he is still you're mentor and as far as the whole sex thing goes he probably just wants it to be right with you and him breaking the law isn't exactly right.' Lissa said

'I've been such a douche and I really do need to stop swearing, I'll have to apologise next time I see him.' I conceded. 'I'm sure you'll be able to make it up to him' Liss said coyly with a wry smile on her face. 'Although not as you'd like to, not for at least three months anyway.' She added bursting into laughter at the same time. At that I picked up her fluffy pillow and launched it at her only intensifying her laughter.

I looked around her room; her desk was still swamped with revision books. 'Geez Liss we get time off from classes after this whole ordeal and you spend it holed up in your books.' I joked. 'Come on lets go to the cafeteria that is if you can tear yourself away from your school work, nerd.'

Lissa faked bring offended but agreed and we headed toward the cafeteria I wasn't particularly hungry surprisingly enough but I'm sure I'd manage to wolf a chocolate glazed doughnut down. As we arrived I saw Eddie at our table so we went over to join him.

'Eddo' I said rather loudly making him aware of our presence. 'Oh hiya you two, what you doing here?' He asked. 'I'm bored and Liss is taking a study break.' I answered rolling my eyes at the last bit. 'What about you?' Asked Lissa.

'I've just finished training, not everyone gets days off randomly.' He mocked turning his gaze to me. A broad smile spread across my face 'Jealous are we?' I asked humorously. Before he could answer Lissa cut in. 'If you two are gonna talk shop, I'm gonna grab a coffee, do you want anything Rose?' Then she shook her head realising what a stupid question it was. 'Chocolate glazed?' she asked. 'Uh hmm and a coffee please Liss.' I responded.

Eddie appeared to be a little preoccupied and looked a little awkward I knew something was up with him. What's up Eddie? You seem not quite yourself.' I asked cautiously not wanting to intrude. 'Can I ask you something Rose?' His response totally catching me off guard. 'Sure. Is this about your impending butt kicking I promised cause if you're worried…' I trailed off hoping to mask my own uneasiness at the serious turn the conversation had taken.

'Nah Rose I'm being serious if I ask you something will you answer me honestly,' he said rubbing the back of his neck, looking uneasy. 'It's kinda personal' he added.

'Oh' I mentally said to myself trying to keep my expression neutral. 'Of course Eddie, what do you want to know?' Normally with situations like this I had at least an inclination of what was to come but not this time, it was making me feel as nervous as Eddie appeared.

'Well umm, you and Belikov, is there something going on I should know about?' He asked apprehensively.

Comprehension swept over me, was it really that obvious? I might as well be wearing a neon sign or something. I felt a little uncomfortable talking about this sort of stuff with Eddie he was like a brother to me so I simply nodded my head. He gave me a quick nod of understanding back but before we could put this to bed I had to ask.

'How. How did you know?' I questioned. 'Belikov gave it away when I told him about your episode in the gym. His behaviour was too erratic and the look on his face when I mentioned your name, he seemed to crack. Then everything else fell into place, it was so obvious, I was kicking myself for not catching on sooner. Don't worry Rose your secret is safe with me.' He promised.

I remained silent but gave him a sincere smile. So it was the mighty Belikov who was caught out I chuckled to myself, at least it wasn't that obvious if it took a near death experience on my part to enlighten Eddie. He was normally so aware of what was happening around him. Maybe I should hold off on the neon sign after all.

Lissa returned to the table and I was tucking into my doughnut. 'I was just speaking to the other royals and apparently classes aren't starting up again till next Monday' Lissa informed us. 'That's cool we only have practice to contend with this week then. That is if you bother showing up or Belikov doesn't give you any more days off.' Eddie laughed at me causing me to throw the remainder of my doughnut at him. I instantly regretted that move, Eddie easily avoided the missile and I was really enjoying that doughnut.

'Don't worry Eddie I'll be there tomorrow to whoop your ass doing laps again' I teased.

'Cut it out you two; stop trying to one up each other. Besides Eddie you know Rose can kick your butt, I don't know why you provoke her.' Lissa mocked. 'She does not, not every time anyway' Eddie insisted, trailing off towards the end of the sentence. We all burst out laughing causing a few people to stare in our direction.

'Anyway' Lissa said cutting through the laughter. 'It's your birthday Saturday Rose, what are we doing for it?' She asked excited. Not what I want to do apparently I thought to myself fantasising about what me and Dimitri could be doing. 'You're the party planner Liss, you decide' I told her.

Her eyes went wide like sources and her face lit up. 'Really, you want a party? And you're giving me total control over planning?'

I instantly regretted my words. 'Well not exactly a party Liss more of a small get together, I thought maybe we could watch a movie or something.' I tried to reason pleadingly.

She was already on her feet. 'Sure thing Rose, don't give it another thought, I'll organise everything.' She confirmed, she obviously hadn't heard I word I just said, she hastily skipped to the exit brimming with excitement.

'Nothing to elaborate Liss' I shouted after her. 'Think small' I tried to convince her.

'Don't worry about it Rose, leave everything to me' she mused back before leaving the room.

'You know you're screwed right?' Eddie inquired. 'Yep' I replied sombrely, popping the p. 'Unless I can get my hands on some chloroform I'm probably going to have performing monkeys and a string quartet at my party.'

I slapped my hand to my forehead in defeat and heard Eddie's chesty laugh in the background.

**Please Review!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

**Hope everyone enjoys this chapter.**

**Sorry if the last few chapters haven't been as good as previous one's i've been distracted with uni but i'll make sure my story doesn't suffer anymore.**

**I do NOT own vampire academy.**

Chapter Thirteen

The last couple of days had gone by uneventfully thank goodness, it was late Thursday night/Friday morning and I was fighting sleep. I wanted to sleep but refused to get sucked back into Lissa's head, it was safe to say she was doing ungodly things in the chapel to Sparky. The mere thought of it sent a shiver down my spine.

I hadn't seen Dimitri since my childish outburst well not properly anyway so that was still looming over me. Plus I'd not seen or heard anything regarding my mother since she overheard us admitting our undying love for each other. The fact she hadn't said anything was a good thing but I still wanted to know what was going on with her.

Then there was the whole thing about that guy Alberta called to calm my mum down, I think she said his name was Ibrahim. Who the hell was this Ibrahim?

I decided I desperately needed sleep so checked the bond to check if it was safe. I shot straight back out of Lissa's head; sleep was definitely off the agenda, for now at least. I couldn't just lay here all night so I decided to go for a walk. I got up splashed my face with water, put my hair into a high ponytail and threw on my jeans and a t-shirt.

I decided to go down to the first floor and climb out of the window on that landing, I knew it was against the rules to go out after curfew and after the recent attack I was all for the rules but if the guardians could see what I could see through the bond they'd understand. Well not really but that was how I was justifying it to myself.

Getting out was a piece of cake, I'd simply shimmied down the drain pipe, getting back in on the other hand would be a little trickier especially with everyone on high alert following the attack. 'Damn' I mentally chastised myself I hadn't thought this through.

I sat in between two dorm buildings trying to avoid being caught my spot was in the shade; it was a gloriously sunny night. It dawned on me how much I missed the sun living on the vampire schedule, I was basking in the warmth of the sun when a razor sharp voice cut through my thoughts.

'Rosemarie what are you doing outside after curfew? If Guardian Belikov had anything to do with this so help the two of you.' Threatened my mother voice.

'No Janine, he would be just as irritated to see me out here breaking the precious rules as you are. I couldn't sleep.' I retorted.

'Don't get smart with me Rosemarie, what the hell were you thinking?' She demanded.

It was as if she knew I hated being called by my full name and was doing it on purpose as a form of punishment. 'I told you I couldn't sleep, what are you doing here?' I asked trying to distract her.

I should have known the mighty Janine Hathaway wouldn't fall for such juvenile tricks. 'Don't even try and manoeuvre your way out of this one young lady, you know damn well you shouldn't be out here after curfew, it seems like you're breaking all the rules lately' she hissed.

'What have you decided to do about my… erm… rule breaking?' I asked cautiously.

'I hope this is not a feeble attempt to try and distract me Rosemarie or to get rid of me so you can meet up with your mentor.' She retprted.

'It's not I swear and I've already told you Dim- Guardian Belikov doesn't know I'm here. I just really would like to know how you are going to proceed' I explained hopefully.

Her posture relaxed slightly although her face was still in full guardian mode. 'I have decided to keep the information to myself, for now at least. I am still bitterly disappointed in you and in Guardian Belikov and this whole shambles of a situation but I was convinced to keep quiet.' She said.

'Thank you' I said, it was barely more than a whisper.

'Don't thank me if it was my decision Guardian Belikov would be on the first plane out of here preferably with a black eye but as I said I was convinced.' She told me.

I thought Alberta was the one to thank at first but then I remembered about that Ibrahim Mazur guy. I really wanted to ask her about him but she was rather angry so I thought better of it.

'How come you out here? Are you covering some shifts?' I asked.

'No. I couldn't sleep' she informed me. Bloody typical, I fumed internally its ok for some.

'Don't give me that look Rose, I am an adult and a fully-fledged guardian plus my being out here is not breaking the rules.' She scoffed.

I neutralised my expression immediately but was still quietly fuming to myself about her double standards and hypocrisy. 'What brought you back to the academy? Was it just the attack?' I asked her, surprising myself.

'Yes I was told the guardian numbers were low following the fatalities from the attack and they asked me if I would mind filling in temporarily until they could arrange permanent replacements. My charge Lord Szchelsky was due at Royal Court anyway so he arranged for a temporary guardian whilst there.' She explained matter of factly.

I was surprised at how upset I was at her response I suppose a small part of me was hoping she'd say she came to check if I was ok or she was hanging around for my birthday but obviously that was not the case. I looked into her eyes which were as emotionless as usual she blatantly hadn't even considered either of those two factors. I decided to throw caution to the wind and ask her the question that had been eating away at me.

'Who is Ibrahim Mazur?' I asked her, trying to keep all emotion out of my voice.

'Who told you that name?' She demanded. I immediately regretted asking the question. 'I overheard it somewhere' I lied, well kind of lied. For once her guardian mask had faltered and I could see a whole range of emotions in her face, anger, annoyance and what I believe was panic. Now I really was intrigued as to who this guy was.

'I know you know him' I pushed. I had never seen Janine Hathaway look uneasy until right now she was practically squirming. 'Wait, does he have something to do with me?' I asked tipped off by her expression.

Her eyes were shooting daggers at me but at the same time they were pleading for me not to say anything else. She was practically begging me to drop it with her eyes. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks, I knew who he was.

'Ibrahim' I repeated his name and she flinched, she must have been able to see the fierceness in my eyes. 'It sounds foreign, I don't know maybe Turkish. He's my father isn't he?' I shouted.

I realised then that I was crying, I could feel the liquid on my cheeks and I'm sure I saw a single tear try and escape Janine's eye before she had chance to wipe it away. She never replied.

'Answer me God damn it' I roared. Her silence was admission enough but I still wanted her to say the words. But I guess I wouldn't be getting that luxury because just as quickly as she'd lost her composure she had managed to regain it.

She forcefully grabbed my arm and was practically dragging me towards my dorm building, her grip was tight like a vice and hurt like hell but I somehow managed to release my arm. 'Don't touch me' I screamed 'Get your hands of me.'

She stood frozen in her spot for a fraction of a second then went to grab me again I managed to evade her attack tears were freely pouring down my face by this point. Just as she threw herself at me again I heard someone yelling in our direction and then I felt her fist connect with my jaw.

The force threw me to the ground but I was back on my feet instantaneously not wanting to show any weakness. Just then Alberta appeared and I could see another guardian holding my mother, it was Emil. I thought about going for her and Alberta must have guessed my thoughts because she slyly positioned herself between the two of us.

'What's going on here?' She asked me and my mother who had stopped fighting against Emil but he still hadn't released her.

'Why don't you ask my mother' I yelled. 'Or better still why not ask my father. Ibrahim.' Alberta's face immediately lit up with understanding and I could tell by her reaction she knew. I couldn't deal with any of them anymore so I just turned away and ran; I could tell by my heightened dhampir hearing no one had followed me.

I didn't want to be alone so I decided to go to Lissa's room; she should be back by now. I really needed to see somebody who would listen and who could understand me. I ran along aimlessly not thinking of anything then when I reached my destination I took in my surroundings. I t wasn't Lissa's door I had ran to it was Dimitri's.

I knocked on the door and then realised it was the middle of the night, he was probably asleep not to mention how I must look with my puffy eyes and tear stained face. I didn't get much time to mull it over because by my third knock my Russian God answered the door wearing nothing but his pyjama bottoms.

'Roza' he said concerned. Wrapping his arms around me and leading me into his room. He was on high alert as he answered the door but I could tell I had woken him up, there was a trail of dried drool from his mouth down his cheek. I breathed in his heavenly scent and allowed myself to bask in the wonderfulness of his naked chest against me.

He lead us over to his unmade bed before quickly straightening out the quilt and sitting us down, never removing my head from against his chest and never stopping rubbing my hair soothingly. I pulled back and looked up into his eyes through my own cried out ones and gave him my best attempt at a reassuring smile.

'You can freshen up if you like comrade, unless that drool on your face is actually a long lost map to hidden treasure.' I told him cheekily. He immediately rubbed his mouth with his hand before nodding and heading towards his en-suite bathroom assuring me he'd only be a minute.

I heard the tap turn on and then off again and then true to his word he came out of the bathroom within a minute, drool free.

'Better?' He questioned with a raised eyebrow and a smile on his face. 'Much' I replied returning his smile.

Like a flash he was sat next to me. 'Tell me what happened Roza.' He asked with his lips against my face. He was so close I could smell the mintyness of his breath and it sent a shudder through me.

'My mother happened' I replied simply and then elaborated. 'I was having trouble sleeping so I decided to take a walk outside and that's when I ran into her.'

'Wait, what were you doing outside after curfew Roza? It's dangerous have you forgotten about the attacks already?' Dimitri chastised and I rolled my eyes at him. 'You're focusing on the wrong part of the story comrade.' I muttered with a slight whining tone to my voice. He simply nodded and gestured for me to continue.

'Firstly she got on her high horse about me breaking curfew rules, kinda like you just did.' I said and he gave me a disapproving look but allowed me to continue. 'Then we discussed what was she was going to do about us and she told me she would do nothing, making it abundantly clear she still wasn't happy about us.' I told him and he nodded again, allowing me to continue.

'We briefly discussed why she had come to the academy, I had nothing to do with her being here I might add. I bet she doesn't even know it's my birthday tomorrow. Anyway getting back to the point, I overheard you and Alberta mention someone called Ibrahim Mazur whilst I was pretending to be asleep in the clinic. So I decided to confront her and ask her who he was.' I continued.

I then stopped to search Dimitri's face to see if he knew Ibrahim was my father, if he did he was doing a damn good job at hiding it.

'Do you know who he is?' I asked him.

'Not exactly, I've heard of him, everyone in Russia has and I've met him briefly on a couple of occasions back in my hometown. He's some shady gangster type moroi, a non-royal but he has as much influence as any royal moroi does. Everything is just a little dodgy with him, they call him Zmey back home, it means the serpent or snake, because he slimy. I was surprised to hear he had connections with your mother, his reputation leads me to believe he's not the kind of person your mother normally associates herself with.' He explained.

'Well there was a lot of associating going off between them about eighteen and a half years ago, he's my father.' I informed Dimitri and his jaw dropped a little.

Dimitri was obviously beyond shocked his ever active brain must have been in overdrive and he was still in comfort mode in relation to me. 'At least she told you who your father was' he said trying to placate me.

'The hell she did. I figured it out myself and then when I asked her outright she refused to respond. Then she punched me in the face.' I told him angrily.

'She did what?' Dimitri shouted and leapt to his feet, fury written all over his face. I gently took his hand in mine and pulled him back to my side, on the bed. I wanted to say something to him to calm him down but I didn't have any more fight in me. Dimitri lowered me back so we were both laid down on his bed, him spooning me. My lack of sleep had caught up with my big style and I embraced the darkness as I closed my eyes, falling asleep immediately wrapped in Dimitri's tight grip.

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	14. Chapter 14

Chapter fourteen

**This chapter contains a fairly explicit lemony bit, i have tried to mark it with page breakers. Avoid if you don't like lemons.**

**Hope you enjoy.**

I woke up not feeling entirely rested, as I opened my eyes I noticed I wasn't in my room, I shot up on high alert and blinked a couple of times trying to gather my bearings.

'Good morning sleepyhead.' I heard Dimitri's thick laced Russian accent chime. Then it all came pouring back to me and I remembered what had taken place last night.

'Morning Comrade' I said sheepishly unsure if my coming here had been a problem for Dimitri.

He sat up next to me and snaked his arms around my waist whilst kissing down my neck and collarbone. Man did that feel good; I was embracing his contact when he pulled away almost breathlessly. 'I thought you'd never wake up, it's nearly nine thirty' he mocked.

'Really that late huh? What time did you wake up?' I quizzed him.

'About quarter to seven' he answered me. 'Why didn't you wake me or get up?' I asked him.

'I'm not on duty this morning so I didn't have anywhere to be and you looked so magnificent whilst you slept there was nowhere I'd rather be than holding you in my arms.' He said.

It was so sweet and lovely and yet it just begged for a witty Rose Hathaway remark. 'What so you just laid there for three hours watching me sleep? It sounds a little creepy and perverse if you ask me comrade. Definitely not your typical mentor, student behaviour' I joked with a wide grin spread across my face.

He looked at me deadly serious for a second before flipping me onto my back and sitting himself atop me, straddling me. He did it so quickly I didn't realise what was happening and before I could blink I was on my back looking up into his chocolate brown eyes.

'Time for some lessons in how you should always be alert and anticipate an attack, don't you think?' he said smugly with a victorious smile playing on his mouth.

'I don't know, I kind of like the advantages of getting caught unaware in this particular situation.' I toyed with him, he returned my playful smile.

Then suddenly it dawned on me and I tried to shoot up but couldn't due my Russian God sat on me pinning me down. He registered my futile attempt to get up and immediately jumped of me and helped me to my feet. 'What's the matter Roza?' He asked concerned.

'Practice, we should be at practice' I reminded him panicked. His lips curved at the sides resulting in a little smirk. 'Alberta text me after you fell asleep last night, firstly to check if you had come here and secondly to inform me, well us, that training is cancelled for the remainder of the week and will recommence next week along with classes.' He assured me.

I allowed myself to relax but then another thought crossed my mind. 'Wait, Alberta didn't mind my being here?' I asked perplexed.

'Well it's not that she did or didn't mind, after your altercation with your mother she went to your room to check on you and you weren't there. She simply wanted to know you were safe and not off embarking on some reckless, anger fuelled, crazy, Rose Hathaway scheme.' He explained.

'And running off in the middle of the night to the bedroom of my mentor who I happen to be having an illegal relationship with doesn't fit that description?' I teased. He just smiled at me and wrapped his arms around me enveloping me in a hug.

'Do you want to get in the shower first?' He asked. 'Sure thing comrade, unless you want to shower together, to save water' I teased suggestively.

He shook his head disapproving but never removed the smile from his mouth. 'Aren't you worried we'll get caught leaving your room together?' I asked as I made my way to the bathroom.

'I think between us we'll manage it undetected.' He responded and then proceeded to tell me where to find a spare toothbrush.

I had a steaming hot shower and brushed my teeth but it felt wrong to put my mucky cloths back on so I went through to the bedroom wrapped in a towel and carrying my cloths. Dimitri's eyes widened as I entered the room in the towel, his loving and lusty gaze insinuated he approved of what he saw.

'I'm getting in the shower' he informed me and practically ran into the bathroom. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself that Dimitri Belikov had to fight to maintain his composure around me.

I went over to his draws trying to find something clean to wear although I didn't expect to find anything suitable, certainly nothing that would fit. I pulled out one of his tee shirts it was plain black and so big it fell to my knees and hung off me. Then I decided to put on a pair of his skin tight boxers, which I had to tie the waistband on to keep up, as makeshift underwear. They certainly weren't skin tight on me but at least they were clean.

I heard the bathroom door opening and turned to see a shirtless Dimitri walking into the bedroom towel drying his hair. His naked chest was just perfect, I could get used to seeing it on a regular basis. Again he stared at me taking in my appearance and his jaw dropped a little. 'What are you doing?' He asked me still looking at my borrowed improvised outfit.

'I'm sorry I didn't think you'd mind, I just didn't want to have to put dirty cloths back on after my shower is all. I can take them off if you want?' I answered sheepishly like a little girl getting told off.

'No, no that is definitely not a good idea. That tee shirt looks far better on you anyway' He mumbled. 'The things you do to me Roza' he whispered under his breath, it was apparent I wasn't meant to hear the last bit.

Suddenly I realised what was going on and I decided to have some fun with it. 'Well if you like your tee shirt on me comrade, you should see what your boxers look like on me.' I said cheekily lifting up his tee shirt to reveal my makeshift underwear to him.

He flew across the room and charged into me shoving me back first against the wall and attacking me forcefully with his lips. I could tell I would have bruises on my back but I didn't care. Our kissing was so jagged and he was biting my lips and tongue roughly, no doubt leaving marks.

The atmosphere was passionate and filled with ferocity and I was consumed with a raw, animalistic desire for  
Dimitri and based on our kiss he was sharing my hunger. He raised me up so our hips were level giving him easier access to my mouth not bothering to be gentle in the process. I tightly wrapped my legs around his waist and my back was still up against the wall ensuring I didn't slip; our tongues were battling for dominance the entire time.

* * *

I thrust my crotch into him so I was as close to him as physically possible whilst still dressed this caused him to let out my name in a low growl. Hearing him moan my name brought a slight smile to my lips but I never broke the kiss.

He aggressively lifted my arms above my head and held them against the wall with one of his hands; he used his other hand to lift his shirt of me and tossed it on the floor. His lips then roughly attacked my neck and he started nibbling the skin on my collarbone.

I was faintly aware of my exposed state; but didn't really care. I registered Dimitri's hand playing with my bra strap and the pleasurable pain combination of his bites was truly intoxicating. He then unexpectedly shifted so one of his hand had slid inside the boxers I was wearing and he forcefully entered me with his fingers.

I let out an involuntary yelp partly due to excitement and partly due to pain; he froze and looked into my eyes waiting for my approval. A breathless moan of his name was all I could muster but it seemed to suffice as he recommenced with reckless abandon.

This was not the normal, careful and considerate Dimitri I had become accustom too, his actions were rough and wild and I have to admit I liked this unpredictable side of him. His fingers were like magic wands producing wave after wave of pleasure to wrack through my body. My control was at breaking point, it was all I could do to stop myself from screaming his name alerting everyone in the building as to what was going on between us.

He shifted his hand again this time so he could position his thumb against my most sensitive spot and apply pressure in a circular motion never stopping moving his fingers in and out of me simultaneously. His fingers speeded up and his thumb increased the pressure so I literally had to fight to keep my composure.

'Cum for me Roza' he whispered into my ear, his hot breath caressing my cheek. With that I went flying over the edge, his lips found mine as the floodgates opened and pure bliss engulfed my body. I wanted to scream his name from the top of my lungs but his hot steamy kiss captured all my words.

* * *

My legs had untied themselves from him by this point and he released me so I was once again standing, he was mere inches from me his stare transfixed on me. I was looked into his deep chocolate eyes and could see the internal war he was waging with himself.

I already knew the outcome of the mental argument he was having with himself and had resolved myself to the fact there would be no more physical contact between us today. I wasn't thrilled by this thought but after the pleasure my body had just experienced it was hard to get upset.

'I'm sorry Roza' was all he said. I lifted my finger to his mouth signalling to him he didn't need to explain and then bent over and picked up his tee shirt and put it back on.

I made my way over to his bed and sat down still a little woozy from what had just happened, he didn't follow, he simply turned around so he was stood with his back against the wall looking at me.

'It's not that I don't want too, you are so, so beautiful Roza sometimes all I can think about is being with you, making love to you. It's just I want what we have to be perfect, not tarnished because I couldn't control myself until the time was right. Soon Roza there will be nothing to keep me from you and I will openly be able to love you and protect you. I will always protect you my Roza.' He told me lovingly.

Not sure if I was doing the right thing but unable to stop myself I crossed the room to him and hugged him tightly, he returned my hug momentarily before pulling away, he had regained his composure. He looked me up and down wearily 'I am going to fetch you some clothes from your room' he told me. 'I can't have you crossing campus looking like that.'

'What's the matter Comrade? Are you afraid you might get a little competition?' I teased.

'You are all mine Roza, I will never let anything happen to you or anything take you away from me.' He growled back protectively before leaving his room to get me some clothes.

After I left Dimitri's room in my own clothes I checked the bond and went to the cafeteria to meet Liss. Ironically the v neck top Dimitri had brought me was a little small and so with me having a fuller bust it was quite the display and earned me a few wolf whistles from some of the other novices as I entered the canteen.

I spent the morning with Lissa and the others and I couldn't help but notice Christian was a little quiet and I wondered if it had anything to do with his aunt Tasha but I didn't bring it up. Lissa told me she had my birthday planned and I was going to love it. She told me she had something special planned for tonight and to be ready for seven. I knew that meant we were leaving the academy, why else would we be doing something the night before my birthday? I also knew if I really searched the bond I could figure out what she had planned despite her best efforts to block me but I decided to let her have her surprise.

I told everyone about my altercation with my mum and about my father's identity and they were all supportive, I decided to put that on the backburner until after my birthday at least. After everyone else had gone and it was just me and Liss in my room I told her about me and Dimitri and she got totally soppy over what he said as I suspected she would. I also told her about my concerns over Christian's earlier behaviour and she promised to investigate.

After our chat we both decided to get some rest seen as we'd be awake tonight and all tomorrow and she headed back to her own room. I changed into my PJ's and snuggled down into my bed and it wasn't long before sleep found me.

**Please Review, it really motivates me and i like to hear what you guys think.**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

**Hey all hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**i do NOT own Vampire Academy.**

I woke up after a very restless nap and reluctantly checked the time it was only ten past four, I wasn't meeting Lissa here till six thirty, damn. Usually I would love the fact I had more snoozing time but I was so flustered and edgy I decided to get up and deal with my lack of sleep later.

I had a steaming hot shower and then blow dried and straightened my hair for tonight, I felt marginally more relaxed after this, it was still only five fifteen so I decided to head down to the common room to pass on some time.

I was just entering the surprisingly busy room when one of the other novices from our year approached me. Her name was April Maloney I didn't know her that well really, she was kind of a brain and very sensible, needless to say we didn't have much in common and so rarely acknowledged each other.

'Hey Rose, sorry to hear about your mum.' She said honestly, what the hell did that mean? I thought to myself.

'Excuse me' I replied rather harshly, my confusion was blatant.

'Oh I'm sorry I didn't mean any offense, it's just after her big scene and everything, well I guess what I'm trying to say is I can understand, my families pretty unconventional too.' She tried to justify herself, with a sympathetic, sincere smile on her face.

I could tell she was being genuine that's the only reason I hadn't smacked her one and she started to shuffle uncomfortably on the spot she was obviously aware of my growing rage.

'What the hell are you going on about my mother for? What scene?' I demanded trying and failing to keep my voice calm, the poor girl was terrified by this point.

'Oh gosh, I didn't realise, I thought you knew. She had an altercation with another guardian, there was a big argument and she left the academy. Apparently she was not very pleased, everyone is discussing it, not that I participate in or condone idol gossip. I'm not sure how much is true but there were rumours there was a full blown fight.' She told me nervously.

Disbelief flooded me, if there was a physical fight we'd soon know about it because anyone who fought with Janine Hathaway didn't walk away scratch free. I could fault my mum on a lot of fronts but her fighting ability wasn't one, she was badass.

'Who? Who was the other guardian?' I managed to splutter out.

'I don't know. That's the thing, nobody seems to know. Apparently there was another man at the scene either during or shortly after everything went down, he was a moroi. I'm not sure who he is or if he had anything to do with it but he's still wondering around school, you can't miss him, he's the overly smiley guy in the flamboyant attire.'

'Thanks. I think' I told her and gestured for her to leave me alone to digest the information. She obediently walked away then I heard the sarcastic voice of Ralf and Jesse chime my way.

'Whoa well look who it is, guess we know where you get your loose temper from. I wonder if you get your loose morals from your mummy too' they taunted.

That was it I saw red, I clenched my fist ready to punch him in the nose then a strong hand grabbed my arm. 'I think you better leave now before you become more acquainted with Hathaway's temper and take your little pet moroi with you.' Eddies stern voice ordered.

The two guys put their heads down and scuttled off. 'What the hell's going on Eddie? I go for an afternoon nap and wake up to find the world has gone mad. Thanks for backing me up by the way' I tried to joke.

'Rose Hathaway does not need backup. I don't want to make matters worse but I overheard some guardians talking and I'm pretty sure the guardian your mum was arguing with was Belikov.' He informed me.

Fucking fantastic I mused to myself. 'Yeah, thanks for the heads up Eddo, but I gotta go' I told him before I sulked off panicking about what this meant.

'I'll see you later for your birthday' I heard him call back but I didn't acknowledge it, I just kept walking.

I made it out of the room and I was so distracted I walked straight into someone. 'Fuck, sorry, damn' I cursed out loud without thinking.

I raised my head and made eye contact with the stocky, tanned moroi man I had just ploughed into. He was smiling down at me wearing a pink shirt and burnt orange tie that clashed profusely with each other and the ill-fitting duck egg colour suit he was also wearing. His whole appearance screamed gaudy and I recognised him as the guy April had described.

'Abe Mazur' he introduced himself confidently, holding hand out for me to shake.

The world stopped for a second. I had no idea what to do. But in true guardian style I regained my composure in a microsecond; my guardian mask fixed firmly in place, Dimitri would be so proud.

'I didn't see you there, I really need to watch where I'm going but I see you'll survive so I'll be on my way.' I said to him emotionlessly before shooting past him a little too quickly to be normal pace. I must have crossed ten meters in about five strides and I thought I was in the clear, and then I heard his annoying cheery voice.

'Rosemary' he called my name and it stopped me dead in my tracks. 'I know you know who I am, don't walk away from your father.' He added the upbeatness had evaporated from his voice.

I turned around slowly to meet his gaze; I refused to be intimidated by a man wearing a pink shirt. I kept my face unreadable and opened my mouth to speak; my words came out in an eerily calm voice I barely recognised as my own. 'You are not my father; it takes more than a brief encounter with Janine Hathaway eighteen years ago to be my father.'

His flinched for a brief moment before returning to his imposing state but I knew he felt just as unsettled as I did. 'You don't know what you're talking about young lady, just because I haven't been involved in your day to day life doesn't mean I haven't been looking out for you and protecting you. Who do you think made sizable donations to the academy every time you screwed up to ensure your place here? Who do you think convinced your mother to walk away from your latest explicit escapades silently? You have a lot to thank me for.' He told me audaciously.

'It takes more than dipping your hand in your back pocket to be a father Ibrahim. You probably only did it to spare yourself the shame of having a secret daughter whose a blood whore because we all know if I wasn't in this place neither you or Janine would bother to step up, I'd end up in some commune option less. I've heard about you, they call you zmey, the snake, don't think you can sliver your way into my life. It doesn't work like that. Now I hear Janine's made her exit in a cloud of controversy why don't you follow suit and just leave, your shirt and tie combo is giving me a headache.' I told him angrily.

I could see the anger in his face as I spoke the words he probably wasn't used to people standing up to him. 'Zmey. I didn't know you spoke Russian or do I have your boyfriend to thank for that addition to your vocabulary? I have made mistakes Rose, who hasn't? I would like to make amends for some of them and I would like you to consider my apology. Also tell Belikov I would appreciate it if he keeps his opinions of my character to himself, just a suggestion.' His voice was very authoritive and I could tell it was not just a suggestion, this bastard was threatening Dimitri.

'Stay away from Dimitri' I ordered him in a deadly serious tone.

'Now I can't do that Rose, he has taken advantage of my little girl I can't just do nothing. Maybe I can be lenient with him though, remember what I said Rose. You do not want me as an enemy' the last part of his words sent a chill down my spine then he turned and walked away.

I knew my guardian mask had dropped towards the end of our encounter and he knew he had got to me and I was pissed at myself for giving him that power. I mean what the fuck was he saying? Was he using Dimitri to try and blackmail me? What should I do?

Before I could fester in my own self-pity anymore I heard someone behind me shout. 'Roza' I instantly knew who it was and before I could even turn around his arms were around me and my face was nestled into his chest.

I quickly debated to myself whether or not to tell Dimitri what had just happened and decided against it. I needed to keep him safe. I then pulled away from him partly to fight the tears that were threatening to expose me and partly because we were stood in the middle of the corridor and anyone could walk past.

I looked up to his gorgeous face and that's when I saw it, it was like the tiny piece of thread holding me together snapped and I lost it.

'What the fuck happening to your face Comrade? It was her wasn't it? She did this to you?' I was shouting by this point but I didn't care. He took my hand in his and whispered for me to keep my voice down before practically running with me to my room.

Once we were inside and the door was safely Iocked behind us I once again looked at his damaged face his bottom lip was split and swollen and just under his left eye there was some pale bruising, the anger welled up inside me again.

'I'm fine Roza' he tried to placate me.

'The hell you are. Was it her?' I asked venomously.

'Yes. Your mother and I had a disagreement' he confirmed.

'I knew it; she just couldn't allow me to be happy. She had to stick her nose in, now she's left the academy and all the mess behind her. Typical Janine' I was crying tears of anger by this point.

'Roza it's not what you think, it was me who went to her' he explained.

Now I was totally confused what was his gripe with my mother? 'Why?' I asked confused.

'Because I wasn't happy about your little encounter the other night and I couldn't let her get away with it. I wanted to hear her explain herself, as you can imagine she didn't approve of my interference and so things got physical. She left because Alberta interrupted us and told her the academy no longer needed her services.' He explained to me.

He confronted her for me? Knowing that made me feel so happy and yet at the same time I was really thankful I hadn't told him what had happened between me and Abe, one can only imagine the fallout. I mean I know Dimitri is a God and Abe is no match for him in that respect but it was abundantly clear after our 'chat' that Abe held a great deal of power and influence and could no doubt make things happen.

I hadn't realised it till this point but silent tears were pouring down my cheeks. 'What's wrong Roza? Is it me? Is it what I did?' Dimitri questioned concerned.

Everything was starting to get on top of me, my mum, Abe, not being able to tell Dimitri the truth and as hard as I tried I couldn't stop the tears from flowing. 'No. it's not you. You could never upset me' I told him ferociously. I'm fine, really I am' I added on more feebly.

He held my cheeks in his hands and looked into my eyes he knew I was lying about the last bit and I thought he was going to call me out on it but as always he amazed me. 'Will you tell me when you're ready?' he asked pleadingly.

'Yes' I answered him convincingly whilst nodding my head at the same time. I wasn't entirely sure if I could ever tell him but I kept that frightened the hell out of me and so I kept it hidden from my face.

'Thank you for not pushing' I mumbled. He smiled and then brought his lips to mine in a soft gentle kiss.

I was aware of his split lip and so was being extra careful with the kiss but my desire for him was growing by the second. He intensified the kiss and moved his hands from my cheeks and entwined his fingers through my hair. I responded approvingly bringing one arm around his neck and squeezing us closer together whilst my other hand got tangled up in his hair.

The kiss was much more eager and passionate now and I gently took his cut in my mouth and stroked my tongue across it earning a moan of approval from Dimitri. He started pushing me back into the bed so he was laid on top of me whilst our legs still hung over the bed and I vaguely heard a small clicking noise.

Our tongues were still desperately fighting each other for dominance and Dimitri was caressing my side with his hand. I felt his hand grab onto the bottom of my tee shirt and start to lift it up.

'Rise and shine Ro-. Oh my God, I'm sorry I never thought, I just used my key, I didn't think you'd be awake Rose. I'm sorry' Lissa fumbled as she turned around to walk straight back out the door.

Dimitri shot up off of me his cheeks slightly red, I don't think I have ever seen him shy and I stopped Lissa before she left the room. I could feel her embarrassment through the bond and she was apologising repeatedly silently too.

'I'm sorry I should have knocked, I should not just barge in. If I had known I would never have just let myself in like that. I thought I was going to have to use brute force to get you out of bed Rose.' Lissa apologised this time verbally.

'Liss it's fine, I wouldn't have given you a key, if I didn't want you to use it' I reassured her. Through the bond I could tell she felt slightly more at ease but she was still bright red.

Dimitri who had been silent throughout then made his excuses and left. He said it was to allow us girls time to get ready but I knew the truth was he had to get out of there, he wasn't accustom to public displays of affection.

Lissa did tell him we'd see him soon which indicated he was going to be present for whatever she had planned tonight that was comforting.

'Have you been crying?' Lissa asked unexpectedly. I decided right then I needed to talk to someone so I opened my mouth and let the description of my earlier encounter with Abe slip out. Liss was really shocked and supportive as always and promised she'd help me figure everything out at least that made me feel slightly better.

After our heart to heart we started getting ready for my birthday we did each other's hair and make-up and both got dressed in sexy casual attire. I put on leggings and a cream boat necked jumper dress, we both looked good but this was all too casual. I know this was only the beginning; the best was yet to come.

We both stood in front of the mirror finally ready and I turned off the cheesy music we had been listening to. We then proceeded to wherever we were going for my birthday eve celebration, Lissa was leading the way obviously.

This is going to be interesting I chuckled to myself.

**Please take the time to review, they really are great motivation.**

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**Thanks again.**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

**Sorry for the longer wait than usual, i do update as frequantly as i possibly can, i try for at least one update a week but it's just not always possible.**

**Anywho, I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**I do NOT own Vampire Academy.**

I followed Lissa along and soon it became clear she was leading me to the car parking area. Her excitement was coming through the bond thick and fast and was starting to make me dizzy.

'Ok Liss you need to calm down, your excitement overdrive is making me nauseous plus you've kind of given the first part of your plans away' I said sympathetically.

Suddenly the bond was filled with remorse, much better. 'Oh no, I've ruined the surprise' she whined.

'Don't worry about it Liss, I only know the first part of your plans plus now I know we can both enjoy the fact we're getting out of the academy to go shopping.' I tried to convince her. I was bouncing slightly on the spot partly to convince Liss and partly because I really was excited to be getting away from this place. God only knows how she's managed this one.

I could feel the maddening excitement creeping back into the bond. 'I didn't give away your present did I?' She asked desperately.

'No. Just the first activity' I lied. She'd totally let slip she was going to buy me an outfit for my present whilst we were out today. I really didn't know what else she had planned but I knew the outfit must be for something we were going to be doing. I tried to relax and stop thinking about it and let my own excitement take over.

As we reached the parking area there was a black SUV waiting for us and two guardians. One of them was my Russian God, Dimitri and the other was Guardian Petrov, Alberta. Wow they really had sent out the big guns to accompany us.

I walked over and greeted them both; Dimitri and I had to keep our welcoming platonic in case anyone was watching.

'It's about time' Alberta scorned tapping her watch face for effect. 'I told you to be here for seven o'clock sharp.'

'Actually you told Princess Dragomir we had to be here for seven, it's not my fault I never got your message' I bantered back.

'Hey like they're going to believe it's my fault we're running late Rose. You'll show up late to your own funeral' Lissa interjected defensively.

'Let's not waste any more time ladies shall we?' Alberta broke up our debate and pointed towards the car.

We all piled in and then I noticed there was a third guardian with us, Emil, he was in the driver's seat. Alberta and Liss sat together in the middle row seats whilst Dimitri and I sat together in the back seats. I desperately wanted to snuggle up to him but couldn't because of Emil, damn it.

'Happy birthday Roza' he murmured so only I could hear.

'Technically it's not my birthday yet Comrade' I mocked.

He rolled his eyes at me 'what presents are you hoping for?' he asked me.

'If I tell you it's cheating Comrade' I continued to torment him. Again he rolled his eyes and sighed in frustration.

'I don't really know what I want, I haven't given it that much thought if I'm honest' I told him.

'That doesn't sound like you Roza' he replied sounding almost concerned.

'Well I've spent more time thinking about what I get when I graduate' I whispered seductively.

His eyes widened in understanding 'I assume you mean our trip to Russia' he teased.

'Why of course Comrade. What else would I be thinking about?' I replied almost huskily.

After that we all started talking amongst ourselves, Dimitri had slyly managed to hold my hand without anyone else being able to notice. I had gotten pretty good at dealing with the killer headaches outside the wards and I barely even noticed the ghosts anymore. As I sat there listening to the idle chatter and the continuous sound of the engine my lack of sleep started to catch up with me and before I could argue I drifted into a peaceful nap.

The darkness started to blur and then wash away and I quickly realised I was being pulled into a spirit dream suddenly I was stood in St Vlad's chapel I turned around tentatively but saw nothing.

'Adrian?' I asked. I saw his form slowly rise from one of the pews and then I was looking into his brilliant emerald green eyes.

'Little Dhampir' he greeted me happily a big smile spread across his face.

'Why are you so happy? And why have you dragged me into another spirit dream you know I hate these things?' I asked simultaneously.

'How come you're asleep?' He countered totally ignoring my questions; I hated it when he did that.

'I fell asleep on the way to the mall' I told him choosing to ignore my annoyance.

'Sorry to drag you here but I needed to speak to someone, I didn't think you'd be available but I gave it a go anyway. Ask and you shall receive I guess' he waffled.

'What do you want to talk about?' I enquired.

'Why, what's making me so happy of coarse' he scoffed like it was obvious.

'What the hell Adrian' I retaliated.

'OK. OK. No need to get techy. I've think that maybe I might have met someone, a girl I mean' he eventually spat out.

Awkwardness and shyness were radiating from him and I wasn't sure if this was because of the other women in question or because he was talking to me about it. One thing I knew for sure was Adrian's unconfident blundering was completely out of character.

'Well that's great Adrian, I'm really happy for you. How'd you meet her?' I asked interested.

'She transferring here from St Williams in England, she's English and she's a dhamphir and I don't know there's something about her I can't put my finger on' he informed me with a smile on his face. He seemed to lose all of his over confident ego when he spoke about her plus he couldn't stop grinning like a buffoon. It must be love I joked to myself.

'Hey what's so funny?' he asked and I realised I must have unwittingly laughed out loud.

'Nothing it's just she seems to be having quite the effect on you' I told him.

He blushed. 'Well there's nothing wrong with that, is there?' he asked awkwardly.

'Not at all, she must be quite a girl if she's made the mighty Adrian Ivashkov weak at the knees' I joked.

'Well you'd know' he said slyly. 'Besides she's not a girl, she's a woman. She's coming over to teach elementary, she's twenty six' he corrected me.

That shocked me a little definitely not some impressionable bimbo then. 'Maybe that's what you need an older women to put you in your place' I chuckled.

'Maybe' he replied. 'Anyway whilst I have your attention can I bring her to any birthday celebrations of yours I may be attending in the near future? He asked.

'Subtle, ruin the surprise why don't you' I joked. 'You know I'm only messing with you, of course you can, I'd love to meet her.'

His smile grew 'Thanks Rose, it's still really early doors but I like her and I think there could be something special between us' he said sincerely.

Suddenly my scenery started to fade and I vaguely heard Adrian's voice tell me someone was waking my up then I woke up in the back of the car.

'We're here' Lissa squealed excitedly whilst clapping her hands together. I was still tired and didn't appreciate her enthusiasm too much but decided to ignore my crankiness and at least pretend to be excited.

We all jumped out of the car and although it was broad daylight the guardians did a quick scan of the perimeters. We were then escorted inside and I managed to pull Liss aside for a brief second. 'How'd you manage to pull this off?' I whispered.

'I asked politely' she said innocently but I could feel her guilt through the bond.

'You used compulsion didn't you?' I demanded quietly.

'Only a little and it wasn't intentional I swear' she tried to justify herself.

'How could you compel Dimitri?' I asked her bitterly.

'No I didn't, I asked Alberta thinking she'd say no then when she agreed I realised I must have used a small amount of compulsion. She organised the rest I never spoke to Dimitri' she explained. I could tell from the bond she was telling the truth and I could feel her begging me to forgive her.

'Fine. But don't do anything like this again' I relented.

I could feel through the bond that she was still upset because of my disappointment even though her face was trying to hide it.

'Come on Liss where here now, let's make the most of it. And besides I am pretty stoked to be out of that place' I appeased her.

Just then the guardians called us to them and I felt Lissa's distress fade, she pulled my arm and dragged me into one of the many designer clothes stores, Armani, I think with the guardians closely flanking us.

We had been shopping for what felt like days but in reality was probably only about three hours and Liss had bought me the most gorgeous outfit. A strapless black dress which fell to mid-thigh, it was a clingy satin material with a slightly shiny finish and the sides were cut away extenuating my tiny waist and womanly curves. I also had the matching black peep toe heels which would be useless for fighting but complemented the outfit perfectly; luckily Dimitri hadn't seen me wearing it that was going to be a treat for him.

We were going to wrap up shopping soon then go for some lunch and then we'd head back to the academy. Lissa desperately wanted to get me a matching bag for my outfit and there were a couple of stores I wanted to go to.

We walked towards a large department store presumably Liss was hoping to get my bag from here as were approached the entrance Dimitri stopped us. I automatically shifted into guardian mode without realising I positioned myself protectively in front of Lissa and began to scan the area.

I couldn't see any obvious threat and allowed myself to relax slightly then I looked at Dimitri who had a small smile on his lips, noticing my change in attitude.

'Relax Rose' he smiled. 'Everything's fine I just need to a get couple of things sorted myself so I'll meet you guys in the restaurant in thirty minutes' he informed us.

I desperately wanted to know where he was going and ideally go with him but I knew that couldn't happen so I just smiled keeping my face neutral. Alberta gave a quick nod of her head as if to silently authorise it and just as he was about to leave Emil cut in.

'Would it be a problem for me to go get some stuff I need too?' He asked obviously wanting Alberta's permission.

Alberta mulled it over quietly for a few seconds her face expressionless and Dimitri offered to stay if necessary but after a few seconds of consideration Alberta told them both to go and meet us at the restaurant. 'I can manage' she assured them. I'll be here too I wanted to say but knew none of them would listen so I stayed silent. I saw Dimitri's tortured expression, he was obviously debating leaving us alone with one guardian but he caved and they both left us.

We entered the massive store and Lissa directed us both to the handbag department, almost immediately she'd found the perfect bag. A simple black clutch, I smiled at her in agreement and mumbled about that being easy then she went and paid for the bag.

As we were walking along I was looking for the workout clothes I saw them up ahead and told the others I wanted to have a look. Liss had had her head turned by a stunning and probably ridiculously expensive dress so Alberta followed her and allowed me to go and look at the workout clothes telling me to stay on high alert.

I wondered over, making sure we could all still see each other, and started browsing. I picked out a couple of outfits one was all black, short shorts and a sleeveless tank top. The other was black and pink and consisted of full length bottoms and a top which stopped under my bust revealing my stomach. I also picked up some black work out trainers then I signalled to Alberta that I was going to look at the women's clothes next to the workout section.

She nodded in approval so I headed over. I picked out a grey military style jacket and a black leather one which fell to just above my hips and had a rocker feel about it. I also grabbed a couple of pairs of demin jeans, some grey combats and some short demin shorts. Last but not least I picked up a pair of red converse then I decided to get some black knee high converse too since it was my birthday.

My hands were beyond full by this point then Liss and Alberta joined me wielding a much needed basket. I emptied the contents of my arms into the basket then we headed over to the cosmetics counter to pay. Whilst there I picked up a new red lipstick and some Lancôme lip jelly as well as a bottle of my favourite fragrance Moschino, I love love.

My balance due was far higher than I intended to spend but I looked over at Liss at the next counter and she had gone totally nuts making me feel a little better. We left the store Liss was carrying inordinate amounts of bags I soon noticed she was struggling with the weight so took some from her.

Liss then directed us to Victoria Secret and Alberta's face was a picture she was obviously uncomfortable going inside so she told us to go in and she'd watch from the entrance so we left the bags with her.

I picked out a black and turquois lace balconette bra and Brazilian pant set and a lacey black baby doll hoping Dimitri would appreciate them after graduation. I also grabbed a couple of sports bras, Liss had gone mad once again and had picked up half the store we made our way over to the counter, paid and left.

Alberta looked relieved as we left and were able to get away from the store and we were about to go to the restaurant when Liss decided she wanted to go back to one of the shops and get a dress she saw earlier. Alberta's face almost cracked at the thought of more shopping and my own feeling matched hers.

At that point Dimitri joined us; he'd apparently got his things done in quick time. It was decided that poor Alberta would escort Lissa to the store and Dimitri and I would go to the restaurant and meet them there. By this point I had all Lissa bags and my own which were increasingly difficult to manoeuvre after we separated Dimitri took the bags from me like the gentleman he was.

We were walking together in comfortable silence when I noticed we were heading in the wrong direction. 'Restaurant's that way comrade' I said pointing behind me.

He chuckled 'I'm aware of that Roza' he said. 'We're going to the car first to drop the bags off' he informed me.

We arrived at the SUV and dispatched the bags into the car on doing this Dimitri seemed to notice the Victoria Secret bag and arched his eyebrow at me. I gave him my best man eater smile in return but said nothing.

It was a gloriously sunny day and the sun was beating down on us, the sky was perfectly clear not a cloud in sight. 'It's a beautiful day isn't it Comrade' I mused. He seemed almost a little taken aback by my statement and then looked up at the sky as if only just noticing how nice it was. 'I hadn't noticed before, but yes it is' he agreed.

It was my turn to raise my eyebrows at him now 'Only just noticed? What planet have you been on?' I joked. He stood in front of me his eyes glaring into my own 'I guess when you are looking at the most beautiful thing in existence everything else pales in comparison' he told me lovingly.

He bent down and kissed me before taking my hand in his own and directing us silently to the restaurant. As we were walking though the mall hand in hand I allowed myself to think how we must look like any other normal couple and a smile appeared on my lips. It was short lived though as soon as we reached the restaurant we reluctantly released each other's hands and went back to hiding our feelings.

We noticed the other three were already there and seated and approached our table. My face must have been showing my dismay at our situation because as I took my seat Liss asked 'Everything Ok Rose?' concerned.

'Peachy' I lied aware it wasn't a very good one. I could feel Dimitri's eyes suddenly on me and concern though the bond but at that very moment I just couldn't bring myself to sugar-coat this whole farce of a situation.

**Please read, enjoy and review. Let me know if it was worth the wait?**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

**Everyone enjoy. I normally struggle to update at weekends but i put in extra seen as my updates haven't been as frequant recently.**

**Plus this is by far my longest chapter to date, nearly 5000 words.**

**Please take the time to review especially given my extra effort.**

**Also this scene contains an explicit lemon, once again i have put in page breakers to identify this part so those of you who don't like them can avoid it.**

**I do NOT own Vampire Academy.**

I chose to ignore the two pairs of eyes staring at me I really didn't feel like trying to coax them into believing everything was alright; I knew neither of them were to blame but my frustration at my impossible situation was all consuming and illogical. Was it too much to ask to have an ordinary relationship? Why did my relationship with Dimitri have to be as messed up as everything else around me?

I ordered a drink and hoped that the other two guardians wouldn't pick up on the tension surrounding me. Once it became overtly apparent I wasn't going to divulge any more information on my current mood swing both Lissa and Dimitri reluctantly forced their gaze from me and browsed the food menu.

A few more minutes had passed and no one else seemed to have noticed thankfully then the waitress came around to take our order. She was a blonde skinny girl with an enthusiastic smile she went around the table taking orders and when she arrived at Dimitri she stopped momentarily and quickly looked him up and down.

A smile spread across her face she obviously liked what she saw, rage welled up within me but I knew there was nothing I could do about it we couldn't show our feelings publically so to the uninformed eye he was fair game. My rage was momentarily replaced with a sense of uselessness and then changed back to frustration.

I saw Lissa cast me a sympathetic look and a small smile but I couldn't return the favour I knew my face must have been hard and expressionless but I couldn't bring myself to hide my true feelings from her or from myself anymore.

'Well if there's anything I can get for you just say the word' I heard the skanky waitress tell Dimitri seductively before turning her attention to me. 'What can I get for you?' she asked politely.

'I'm good thanks, I'll just have a drink refill' I told her curtly, raising my glass for effect. She nodded and began jotting it down then Lissa intervened 'you sure Rose you haven't eaten today? They do homemade doughnuts' she informed me enticingly. 'Don't be angry at her Rose, she doesn't know he's taken' she also projected through the bond.

Her silent message snapped my resolve 'I said I'm fine' I insisted forcefully at Liss causing her to retreat back into her seat opposite me. My stern tone had also earned me the attention of Alberta, who turned to see what was going on.

Unable to sit there with them all staring at me I virtually jumped to my feet Alberta opened her mouth to speak but it was Dimitri emotionally charged voice I heard. 'Are you ok Roza?' he asked concerned, I could tell he was worried he would never use my Russian name publically in normal circumstances.

'I'm just going to the toilet' I informed them flatly refraining from making eye contact with Dimitri. As I went I gave Liss a quick look urging her not to follow me, I wanted to be alone for a few minutes.

On my way I heard Emil whisper a crude comment to Dimitri about the waitress's advances causing my blood to boil. I entered the bathroom which was empty thankfully and went into one of the cubicles I didn't need to use the toilet so I closed the toilet seat lid and plonked myself on top of it bringing my knees to my chin and hugging my shin's. I then felt silent tears fall down my cheeks triggered by the hopelessness of everything.

I don't know how long I was sat there; until the tears stopped running I guess, it could have been a minute or a week for all I knew. I stood up then wiped my tears away before opening the cubical door. Standing there in front of me was Dimitri anxiety contorted his face, the moment was screaming for a blasé Rose Hathaway comment but I couldn't find it within myself to conjure one up.

He too remained silent but opened his arms to hug me I stepped forward and allowed him to embrace me but never returned it, even I was unsure why I was being so distant with him.

He pulled back at my lack of response 'Roza' was all her said yet it was filled with so much love and panic it might as well have been a thousand questions.

I'm sorry was what I wanted to say but the words never came. 'I don't want to talk about it' was all I managed feebly before I turned my back on him and walked out.

**DPOV**

We had left the restaurant and were on our way back to the academy I was in the back with the Princess this time since Rose had virtually thrown her out of the way and jumped in next to Alberta, she obviously didn't want to be near me. A thousand explanations as to why swam through my mind was it because I had said no? Did she think I had rejected her? But she seemed to understand when I reasoned that with her, I don't think that was it.

Maybe she had changed her mind about us and decided she didn't want to be with me anymore. I don't know if I could take that or how I'd cope.

This was unbearable she was sat mere inches from me looking straight forward, rigid presumably to avoid eye contact with me, it was tearing me up. I swiftly stretched my arm and gently caressed the side of her cheek without anyone noticing. She actually shuddered at my touch as though it repulsed her but aside from that never moved or acknowledged the contact.

My heart sank and tears threatened my eyes, which was a rarity for me I managed to control myself and keep my raging emotions in check. I spent the rest of the journey home trying to accept that she no longer loved me. Maybe she never loved me? I thought to myself but I quickly extinguished those thoughts I knew she had loved me; I'd seen it and felt it. This brought a whole different set of memories back, nice ones, but the realisation that I'd never experience those again, experience her again, brought the tears even closer to the surface.

Anything to make her happy I told myself, it didn't matter about me as long as Roza was happy, if me walking away was what she wanted then I would do it. I didn't know how but I would do anything she asked of me.

**RPOV **

During the journey home Lissa's concern through the bond had been deafening I practically ran out of the car to  
try and escape it. I told Liss I was going to go unpack and get some sleep for tomorrow I could feel through the bond my standoffish behaviour was really effecting her and I was hoping some alone time and rest would help me uncork some of my tension so tomorrow was more palatable for us both.

'Happy 18th birthday Rose' I heard her call lamely as I was walking away she sounded so defeated. Suddenly something inside me clicked I felt a renewed determination everything seemed to fall into place. I was Rose Hathaway; I didn't let crappy situations get me down, hell no. I always found a way to make things work normally through crazy schemes and stupid logic, I always defied the odds.

With that my tension began to melt away and I swiftly turned round to acknowledge both Lissa and Dimitri but upon my 180 I realised Dimitri had already left. I felt myself longing for him, I hadn't been very fair to him today none of this was his fault but I wouldn't get a chance to apologize now.

'Thanks Liss I'll see you tomorrow bright and early oh and thanks for today' I told her honestly she automatically recognised the change in my persona and smiled widely. 'Don't mention it, I'll see you first thing birthday girl. Oh and Rose I'm glad you're feeling better' she said happily wiping my earlier attitude from existance.

It was like one o'clock at night our time so I headed straight to my room to get some rest for tomorrow. The sun was blazing and it burnt down on me causing beads of sweat to materialise above my brow which I immediately swiped away.

I reached my dorm building and was the teensiest bit relived to get away from the beating sun I walked in and the moroi women at the desk immediately fixed her gaze on me. She obviously thought I'd snuck out without permission and looked kind of enthusiastic about having something to do even if it was just dolling out my punishment.

She raised herself from her seat her expression changing to one of disappointment and was just about to begin a tedious tirade about breaking curfew rules her finger was already in the perfect pointing position. I braced myself to give her my note stating that I had permission to be out but before I had the chance I heard a thick laced Russian accent behind me. 'She has consent, we've just returned from a trip outside of the academy.' He informed the moroi women who had a look of disappointment about her upon hearing this information.

I spun around to face my saviour and hopefully get across a silent apology but upon facing my six foot seven God I noticed his face was cold and expressionless. His eyes were hard and gave nothing away; he was in full force guardian mode. I involuntarily flinched under his icy gaze and pondered to myself what was wrong. Surely my behaviour wasn't that unacceptable, to warrant this response?

'I'll escort her to her room' he informed the moroi emotionlessly before leading me to the stairs. Our walk to my room had been in silence but not the normal comfortable silence we usually found ourselves in, no this was laced thickly with an eerie tension.

I unlocked my door letting us both inside and stood there waiting for him to say his piece so things could go back to normal but it never happened instead he just stood there and looked at me his gaze still deadly hard and unreadable. Again I found myself shivering.

'Dimitri' I began timidly, man I had really screwed up. Before I could continue he stopped me with his hand 'It's ok Rose, I know and I understand. I'm sorry. I'm sorry if i expected too much' his words were filled with pain despite his attempts to hide it.

Now I was totally dumbstruck, why would he say sorry? 'What?' I asked confused. 'I don't get it, why are you apologising? You've done nothing wrong, it's me who should be asking for forgiveness, my attitude earlier was completely unjustified and out of order' I tried to reason with him.

His face was still emotionless and he had maintained a hefty distance from me. 'You can't help how you feel Rose, your still young, feelings change, I can understand that' he replied.

I was still totally baffled and I took a step towards him trying to close the distance between us, he looked almost afraid of me as I approached him. What had I done? I'd been such a fool, what if my stupid outburst had caused irreconcilable damage.

'I love you Dimitri' I whispered frantically, I was desperate to hear him repeat those words back to me.

'Don't' he said sounding hurt 'Don't lie to me.'

My heart shattered into a thousand pieces upon hearing those words and tears leapt from my eyes, I looked up into his deep brown eyes which were now filled with grief and pain and wondered how despite my earlier thoughtlessness he could ever doubt my love for him. I then saw a solitary tear escape his eye and instinctively threw myself into his arms.

I felt his arms tighten around me greedily and then slacken with a heavy sigh he released me.

'No' I shouted my voice even made me jump due to its volume and ferocity. 'Don't let me go, don't you ever let me go again. I do love you Dimitri Belikov, with every fibre of my being. How could you ever doubt that? I questioned my voice had lost its volume but not its viciousness and by the end I just sounded hurt.

His eyes widened in shock and he pulled me into an embrace he held me so tightly, so securely, I felt invincible, like nothing could harm me again. He then bent forward placing his hands just below my butt and raised me up so I was face to face with him. I wrapped my legs around his waist securing my position and he brought his lips to mine.

I really can't explain the perfectness of the kiss we shared it was filled with so much mutual love and affection and as was the case so often between us, no words had been spoken but the message was perfectly clear. I loved this man with all my heart and the feeling was reciprocated.

He pulled away from me and rested his forehead against my own leaving me yearning for his touch. 'I love you Roza, I always will. I thought I'd lost you, I thought you had changed your mind and it nearly destroyed me. I can't bear to imagine my life without you in it. You complete me' he told me sincerely. Normally I would have retaliated with some smart quip about how clichéd and corny that sounded but all I could do was bask in the magnitude of his words.

'I'll love you too unconditionally and forever' I told him fiercely. 'I'm sorry about earlier I really don't know what came over me. I just felt so suffocated by the whole situation, it's frustrating having to hide my feelings for you, I hate it. I'm sorry about how it came across I shouldn't have taken it out on you or Liss for that matter. I don't want to give you a reason to ever doubt my love for you again' I sobbed.

He slowly released me and put me on my own two feet before heading towards the door. 'Where are you going?' I questioned panic spiking my voice.

'I'm going to go and come back so the women at the front desk doesn't get suspicious' he informed me.

At first I was confused but then it hit me 'You're going to spend the night with me?' I asked unsurely.

'Yes' he confirmed the tone of his voice also suggested there would be more than just sleeping happening tonight.

'What made you change your mind?' I asked. I mentally chastised myself afterwards in case it made him reconsider.

'I can't stand the thought of losing you or being away from you so it seems so pointless to deprive ourselves' he admitted. 'Plus your eighteen now, it's not illegal anymore' he smiled.

'I would've waited you know?' I declared.

'I know' was all he said before he turned and left.

I went into the bathroom and quickly washed myself and brushed my teeth then I returned to my bedroom and changed into the baby doll I had purchased earlier and matching thong. The outfit was very flattering to my voluptuous figure and somehow possessed a sophisticatedness which made it look sexy and tasteful rather than cheap and tacky.

I was confident Dimitri would approve so I slipped my dressing gown over the top to hide my surprise and laid on my stomach on the bed awaiting his arrival.

He didn't leave me in suspense long within ten minutes he was letting himself back into my room ensuring he'd locked the door behind him eliminating the risk of being interrupted. I told him to leave a key in the door in case Liss came round and tried to let herself in and he obliged.

He then took a seat next to me on the bed and pulled me into a hug, my head was resting on his chest. 'Are you excited for tomorrow?' he asked me.

'I dunno, I don't know what's happening yet remember?' I answered him wittily.

'I suppose you're right, I'm sure Lissa won't let you down, she wouldn't let the day pass uneventfully' he told me trying to be reassuring.

That caused me to smile 'that's what I'm worried about' I scoffed. 'Will be you joining us for any festivities Liss might have planned?' I asked him hopeful.

'I guess you'll find out tomorrow' he said suspiciously.

I giggled at that, I should have known better than to get confidential information from the mighty Dimitri Belikov. He smiled one of his rare genuine smiles at me and told me how beautiful I looked when I was happy and I returned the favour telling him how endearing he was when he smiled.

'I've got something for you' he said bringing us back to reality.

'You didn't have to do that' I started, but before I could even finish my sentence he produced a small jewellery box, a ring box I believe.

My eyes widened at the still closed box 'Thank you' I whispered.

'You haven't even seen what's inside yet. You might hate it' he teased whilst slowly opening the box.

Once he'd finally opened the box allowing me to see its content I heard a loud gasp then realised it had come from me. The ring was breathtakingly exquisite, it was a white gold band with a pearl in its centre and an intricate design each side of the pearl which seemed to symbolise both sides clinging to the pearl, it was truly magnificent. It also appeared to be old like an ancient family heirloom.

I continued to stare at it speechless before Dimitri's heavenly voice interrupted the silence. 'Do you like it Roza? You can try it on' he encouraged me.

My hand reached towards the ring very slowly and nervously but before I reached it Dimitri removed it from the box and delicately placed it on my right ring finger, it looked even more amazing on, like a piece of fine art.

'Do you like it Roza?' Dimitri asked again and I realised I hadn't said anything since seeing the ring.

'It's beautiful. I love it' I told him truthfully. 'But I can't except this, it's too much.'

A wide smile emerged across his face 'It's not enough, nothing will ever be enough for you my love' he told me causing a tear to drip down my cheek. 'My great grandmother gave it to me and told me when the time was right to give it to the women I would spend my life with' he explained.

'But-' I began before he cut my protest off.

'Babushka agrees that now is the right time and I already know you are the person I want to go through life with. It's a promise ring Roza and with it I am promising to love you forever' he informed me.

More tears leaked down my face and I couldn't stop thinking about what Dimitri said about his grandmother, he'd told me she was some kind of physic witch who seemed to know things. Just the thought that she had ordained our love made me feel better mainly about our impending visit to meet his family.

I was vaguely aware that I had been extremely quiet for what was probably an inordinate amount of time 'Thank you and it is more than enough. I love you' I replied humbly.

He then introduced our lips with a loving affectionate kiss which quickly turned hungry and desperate. He pulled away from my lips allowing me to breath and i quickly removed my robe revealing my new outfit. A wide smile emerged on his lips insinuating he liked it then he pressed me into the bed before placing greedy kisses along my ear and neck. The fierceness of his actions was causing my arousal to soar and my desire for him to heighten tenfold.

* * *

He brought his lips back to my own and fervently squeezed my left breast with enough strength to cause pain in normal circumstances but I was so turned on I welcomed the forcefulness, if anything it wasn't rough enough.

My eagerness to have him left no room for me to be patient and enjoy the build-up and I brought us both up to our feet then efficiently dispatched his t-shirt and jeans in record time. This caused him to raise an eyebrow but he refrained from commenting probably sensing my impatience.

Our tongues were battling in an all-out war but somehow our kiss grew further in intensity and I felt his hands find the bottom of my baby doll as if he was about to remove it. I automatically slapped his hands away causing Dimitri to pull away and look at me cautiously. I gave him a genuine smile and made my eyes as hungry as possible to show him I wanted to continue and then placed a few soft delicate kisses on his chest before slowly making my down his body.

Suddenly my actions lost all their haste and I was proceeding painstakingly slowly, the lower down his chest I got the slower my movements were this caused a thunderous roar from Dimitri's chest.

'It's not nice to tease Roza' he warned me breathlessly.

By this point I was just below his bellybutton and his words forced me to look up into his eyes, I removed my lips from his skin to give him my most erotic grin. I heard him gasp loudly and I wasn't sure if it was from the loss of contact from my lips or the fact that I simultaneously removed his boxers in one quick movement.

His eyes went wide and I once again gave him a playful smile biting my bottom lip for full effect then I dropped to my knees never breaking eye contact. I saw he was about to say something and so cut him of my taking his engorged manhood into my mouth. Any words he was planning immediately disappeared and were replaced with low husky moans which made my core painfully throb.

I slowly moved my mouth up and down his length whilst drawing circles on his tip with my tongue this triggered a whole new set of appreciative moans from him. I brought my hand up and wrapped it strongly around his base never taking him out of my mouth, then my hand began a twisting movement left to right on his penis.

I slowly moved both my hand and mouth up and down his length my tongue still massaging his tip and my hand still twisting left to right. He was huskily calling my name adding to my own arousal, I upped the pace and tightened my grip and his moans grew more urgent.

I was made aware from his continuous noises that he was close so I looked into his eyes and wordlessly told him 'now' whilst also upping the tempo of my movements he almost immediately stopped holding back and I felt him let go as he screamed my name quietly.

He breathlessly flopped back onto the bed trying to regain himself 'that was amazing' he told me in between deep breathes. I gave him another killer smile 'I'm glad you thought so' I answered mischievously.

'I'll be right back' I added before putting on my robe and running to the bathroom. I quickly brushed my teeth and returned at once to my awaiting Adonis.

He had gotten himself under control by the time I returned and as soon as I stepped into the bedroom door he was at my side. He had my robe removed and was holding my in his arms bridal style within mere milliseconds.

He carried me to my bed and gently placed me down, my inner core was throbbing profusely and I was desperate to have him inside me. My hips began bucking towards him but all that earned was a devious smile 'Not so fast Roza. Now it's my turn' he said naughtily.

He then grabbed my baby doll and tore it off before clutching the side of my thong and doing the same. My breath caught at his aggressiveness and I was practically dripping with anticipation. He took one of my nipples in his mouth and began delicately biting it and flicking it with his tongues at the same time he took my other breast in his hand and began twisting my nipple with his fingers.

My nipples were so hard now they could probably cut glass and I was sure liquid must have been oozing out of me, he slowly raised his head and began to kiss down my stomach at a snail's pace. Suddenly his earlier comment about teasing not being nice came flooding back to me with renowned relevance.

'Please Dimitri. I can't wait any longer' I pleaded. 'It is my birthday' I tried to reason desperately.

I had barely finished my plea when i felt his warm tongue rub across me causing me to whimper, he must have liked the noise because he tightly squeazed my hips and continued to rub his tongue against me. I had always wondered how this would feel and i can honestly say it was a million times better than i could have ever imagined but i still wanted more and i could tell he was holding back on me.

I wrapped my legs around his neck and pulled him towards me and he sensed my longing without further adue he focused his tonge on my most sensative spot and began a kind of flicking motion. Man if i thought it felt good before it was nothing in comparison to this and i had to restrain myself from losing all control right there and then.

Then he started a sucking motion and I instantly knew all hope of control was lost, he alternated between flicking and sucking and then entered me with his fingers. My inner control snapped and I tumbled over the edge experiencing wave after wave of indescribable joy.

He allowed me time to recover 'You are exceptional' he told me but i begged to differ. 'Is there nothing you aren't brilliant at? I replied a small smile on my lips.

His only response was a kiss and despite the fact i had just had the best orgasm of my life i still yearned for more and aparently so did he. Neither of us got any sleep that night, no amount of sex with this man was ever going to be enough.

* * *

Morning had arrived and i don't think i had ever felt this tired in all my life before. All that excercise had really taken it's toll but i knew Liss would be at my door in about an hour so i couldn't go to sleep. Dimitri and i were laying down he was holding my tightly in his arms my head resting on his chest, i knew we had to make a move soon but couldn't bare to break up this moment.

'Я буду любить тебя с каждым ударом моего сердца всегда и навсегда' he whispered to me. I had no idea what he had just said but that didn't matter, i simply kissed his chest and returned to listening to his chest rise and fall.

**Translation -**Я буду любить тебя с каждым ударом моего сердца всегда и навсегда = i will love you with every beat of my heart always and forever

**Please review, let me know what you all think.**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

**Everyone enjoy.**

**I do NOT own Vampire Academy.**

Liss was going to be at my room in about forty minutes so I hesitantly tore myself away from Dimitri so I could start getting ready plus we both desperately needed a shower.

'I love you and thank you for my gift and last night, they were both amazing' I told him.

'I'm glad you like the ring Roza and I agree last night was perfect. I promise there will be plenty more sleepless nights between us' he said suggestively.

He leaned down and gave me a quick kiss then pulled away, we both knew where kissing would lead and neither of us had the time or energy to go down that path… again.

'I'm going to go back to my room and get ready' he told me.

'Oh ok' I said unable to hide the disappointment from my voice.

His faced immediately scowled at the tone of my voice 'I can't stay here Roza, you have a shared shower and it would look suspicious if I got spotted coming from the shower to your room in a towel' he joked in an attempt to ease my sadness. He seemed to ponder the predicament for a few seconds 'How about I go and take a quick shower and then come straight back, I can be back before you've even finished your shower. You'll never know I'm gone' he reasoned.

I would know you were gone I almost argued but knew that was the best I could get. I also felt stupid being so needy with him I was nearly a fully-fledged guardian for Christ's sake this was ludicrous. And yet I still couldn't refuse him coming back to me.

'Would you?' I asked wide eyed. 'I know we can't always be together and I'll have to learn to accept that but I just… I don't want to be away from you right now' I tried to justify my actions.

'Sshh Roza' he whispered and brought me into his embrace. 'You don't have to worry about that, not today, it's your birthday.'

I could hear the vagueness in his voice and I knew it stemmed from the fact that we both knew we could never have a proper relationship like two moroi. They come first and we would only ever be able to see each other infrequently in our sparse free time. This upset me and he knew it did, he wanted to tell me it wasn't going to be like that with us, that everything would work out. But he couldn't, he couldn't lie to me.

Maybe we were deluding ourselves, how could this work? We were waiting for graduation to announce our love but it only got more difficult from there when we'd both be full time guardians. We'd never see each other.

I quickly quashed those terrible thoughts I knew we'd make it work, we had too. I looked into Dimitri's eyes which reflected my own pain and fears 'Hurry back' I told him effectively snapping us both out of our sombre trance.

'I love you' he said adamantly as he headed for the door.

'I love you' I responded instantaneously. 'We'll make it work' I added with more certainty than I thought I possessed.

He gave me his best reassuring smile and walked out the door.

I made my way to the bathroom and brushed my teeth and took a shower, I had the water pretty cold for me at least, hoping it would firstly chase away any more negative thoughts and secondly wake me up a little. I towel dried my hair and changed into some jeans and a red t-shirt before going back to my room.

As I let myself in the first thing I saw was a showered and changed Russian sitting on my bed waiting for me with a crooked smile on his face.

'Coffee?' he asked lifting up two takeaway polystyrene cups.

I gave him a brilliant smile and eagerly took the caffeinated beverage grateful for any product that would help me stay awake. I took a seat next to him on the bed.

'It's not decaf right?' I asked for confirmation.

'No' he confirmed. 'I think we both need a caffeine boost, who'd have guessed how tiring it would be to satisfy an eighteen year old women?' he mocked.

'You have no idea Comrade' I retaliated earning me one of his rare smiles.

We just sat there in comfortable silence drinking our coffees until there was a knock at the door.

I knew from the bond it was Lissa but she obviously didn't know Dimitri was here, and I couldn't help but giggle when I didn't answer right away and she shouted 'Rose get your lazy ass out of bed right now, is there nothing you wouldn't sleep through?' Me and Dimitri shared a silent knowing smile thinking about our lack of sleep last night before I eventually opened the door.

She was visibly shocked when I opened the door and she saw I was showered and dressed. 'Why the hell didn't you answer right away?' She began then she noticed Dimitri and cut herself off. 'I wasn't interrupting anything was I?' She asked nervously.

A very suggestive smile found my lips then Dimitri immediately interrupted 'No Princess, nothing was going on to interrupt' he clarified.

I laughed and he excused himself but before he left he came to me and gave me a quick kiss. This totally threw me, Dimitri was certainly not the type for public displays of affection, he was aware Liss knew about us but I was still more than a little surprised by his forwardness. But I liked it.

Lissa was staring at me wide eyed when he left 'well' she encouraged. I showed her my ring and told her all about last night and how amazing it was whilst we were finishing of getting ready and she lapped it up.

I can't say I'm surprised' she began but then ended her sentence abruptly.

'What were you going to say?' I asked curious.

'It doesn't matter. It's not important' she insisted obviously trying to avoid saying it.

'Liss' I said demandingly.

'Well you're not going to like thinking about this Rose but I was going to say' she paused for a minute as if she was thinking of how best to proceed. 'I was going to say I wasn't surprised he was talented in the bedroom department, given his age he's probably quite experienced.' She immediately turned sheepish and I immediately regretted asking her to divulge the information.

I could feel her regret through the bond and I knew I shouldn't be mad at her, she was only telling the truth but I couldn't stop thinking about it. I wonder just how much experience he'd had.

'Forget it Liss, it's ok, I suppose you're right' I told her as convincingly as I could muster.

'I'm such an idiot; really, don't let it get to you. Me and my big mouth' she said apologetically.

'Honestly Liss its fine, it doesn't matter, as long as there's noone else after me. What happened in the past is exactly that, the past' I told her confidently but still a small part of me was still pondering what she had said.

The topic was never mentioned again and once we'd finally got ready we made our way to the canteen for our routine morning ritual. I was praying there would be no elaborate shenanigans awaiting me in the canteen, I couldn't face a public commotion at this time in a morning, but surely Liss knew me well enough to know I wouldn't want that.

I was relieved to see everything appeared normal, all our friends were waiting for us in their usual spots. I gave them a quick acknowledging smile and Liss and I headed to the food queue before approaching our table.

I picked up two chocolate doughnuts and a chocolate éclair earning me a disapproving glare from Liss. 'Really Rose? That's hardly the pinnacle of nutrition is it?'

'What can I say, I'm starving. I didn't eat yesterday plus I need the sugar after my all-nighter' I winked. She rolled her eyes at me but didn't argue further, I also ordered a double strength cappuccino at the till and paid before taking my seat at our table.

'Real healthy' Christian critiqued sarcastically pointing at my breakfast. 'Don't you have anything better to do than observe my breakfast choice Sparky?' I retorted whilst shoving the whole éclair in my mouth at once.

Christian raised his eyebrow at me 'What's that practice for future endeavours?' he said comically. My mouth was too full to respond but I gave him my best death stare. I heard Adrain sniggering and knew everyone had picked up on Christians innuendo.

I then began eating my doughnuts when Christian shimmied towards me; I was instantly on high alert for whatever hare-brained scheme he was planning. He proceeded to pull out a birthday girl party hat that bore a striking resemblance to a 'dunce' hat and put it on my head. Next he pulled out some party poppers and a streamer, Adrian pulled the party poppers and Christian blew on the streamer causing a deafening whistle and effectively gaining the attention of everyone in the canteen.

I shook my head in disbelief and humiliation, Christian rather loudly shouted 'happy birthday Rose' then everyone around the table started singing happy birthday to you. I put my head in my hands unwilling to look at the onlookers witnessing my misery; when I did finally gain the courage to look up I peered towards the guardian table and saw Dimitri sat there with an amused look in his eyes.

The song ended and I removed my hat and after a few minutes people eventually started to stop staring. I knew this had all been Christian's idea and boy was I going to return the favour but part of me was just happy to have him acting like his normal irritating self around me. I had panicked that my altercation with his aunt Tasha had caused a wedge between us but she had left shortly after trying and failing to compel Dimitri into running away with her and things had been fine between us since.

We all finished our breakfast and Liss told me she'd be at my room by five so to be there waiting then we all went off our separate ways. I was headed to my room when a female voice distracted me. 'Miss Hathaway I have something for you if you would accompany me to the guardian quarters' said Alberta.

'Sure thing Guardian Petrov' I responded obediently before walking towards the guardian building.

'Has your birthday been up to standard thus far?' she inquired as we walked.

'Yeah, it's been fine' I answered.

'Good, I'm glad to hear it' she replied. 'You really are turning into an exceptional young woman' she added sincerely.

'Thank you Albert-, I mean Guardian Petrov' I quickly corrected myself.

She gave the slightest laugh 'maybe it's down to your mentor' she said cannily.

Before I could answer we were outside the guardian staff room, she opened the door and gestured for me to enter. I had never been inside this room before and always envisioned a stuffy room filled with leather sofas and bookcases. In reality it looked like an ordinary staffroom, chairs scattered about, magazines and papers messily located and food and drink making facilities.

There were a few guardians in the room talking amongst themselves and they all looked shocked to see me enter the room but quickly went back to their previous activities.

'I'll just get your parcel for you' Alberta informed me before heading through a small side door.

'Don't tell me you're in trouble again Miss Hathaway? What've you done this time?' I heard Guardian Alto's voice address me.

This man had the ability to piss me off without even doing anything and his defamatory comments made my blood boil. 'Sorry to disappoint you Guardian Alto but there'll be no drama today, I'm not in trouble' I answered him trying to keep my voice emotionless.

'That makes a change' he said unpleasantly.

My temper flared 'It's not my fault if some of my teachers can't contain me' I answered frustration creeping into my voice.

'Well maybe if you could contain yourself' Stan spat.

'Maybe if I didn't have tedious old men goading me' I retaliated.

'I don't think that's anyway to talk to your superior's young lady' he chastised, by this point everyone in the room was watching our altercation unfold.

'Well maybe if I regarded in such a manner, but to be honest I wouldn't consider you superior to a dung beetle' I answered sarcastically. That earned a few muffled sniggers from our audience and I saw from his reaction Stan wasn't happy.

'Stop provoking her Alto, you brought that all on yourself, she was minding her own business' Emil defended me. That seemed to shut him up and Alberta appeared soon after with a present in her hands.

'I was asked to give you this today' she told me, I saw my name on the card and recognised the handwriting as my mothers. I wasn't entirely excited by the prospect of opening it but Alberta was looking at me expectantly so I ripped the wrapper off.

It was a book entitled 'everything you need to know about guardian etiquette and protocol' to say I was underwhelmed was the understatement of the century. Alberta was still staring at me judging my response 'Tell her thank you' I said. 'It's a very… practical gift' I managed unconvincingly. Alberta simply nodded and I turned to leave.

I heard Stan mutter something about ungratefulness and stopped in my tracks contemplating throwing the book at his head but then thought better of it and left. My control was definitely improving.

Again I started towards my room, crappy gift in hand until someone stepped in front of me blocking my way.

'What do you want?' I demanded.

'That's no way to greet your father' he scolded. I shuddered at his use of the word father.

'Haven't we been over this once already?' I reminded him.

'I really do want to build bridges with you Rosemarie and I'm sorry about our first meeting. I let my emotions get the better of me. I respect that you are a grown women who is entitled to make her own choices and an amazing young women at that' he reasoned.

'No thanks to you' I scoffed.

'I deserve that and much more but please don't shut me out forever' he said pleadingly then noticed my book. 'Nice choice of reading material you have there, I don't know what your mother would be if she wasn't a guardian, certainly not a personal shopper.' This initiated a slight laugh from me.

'Here take my number, if you need anything, anything at all don't hesitate to call me' he told me. I hesitated but eventually took the slip of paper from him.

'Oh and here, I guess you'll need this too' he added handing me the top of the range, latest i-phone.

Part of me wanted to tell him he couldn't buy my love but I could tell he was genuinely trying. 'Thank you' I said still hesitant 'your better at selecting gifts than Janine. I'll give you that.' With that he gave me a sincere smile that reached his eyes and I returned the gesture before walking away, book in one hand, i-phone in the other.

I eventually made it to my room and decided to have a nap before Lissa come round at five, I had a sneaky suspicion tonight was going to be a late one. I quickly changed into my PJ's and curled up into bed and immediately fell asleep.

I soon realised I was being pulled into a spirit dream and when the scenery settled I saw we were in the school canteen, I was sat in my normal chair and Adrian was approaching me carrying two drinks.

'I take it you want coffee? If not I can change it' he offered whilst occupying the seat opposite me.

'What do you want Adrian?' I got straight to the point.

'To see you of coarse Little Dhampir. I had a feeling you'd be catching up on sleep from last night' he said mischievously with a crooked smile.

'What's that supposed to mean?' I asked defensively.

'You slept with him didn't you? Don't try to deny it your aura's so bright any spirit user within a 500 mile radius could spot it' he explained. I instantly felt embarrassed and kind of violated.

'Is nothing sacred?' I asked exasperated.

'It's still shining now your aura, I mean there's still the bits of black in it but it's blinding and there's also red running through it which symbolises love. His was the same this morning that was how I knew for sure' he clarified.

'Well now you've given me a low down on my love life can I go? I really need some rest' I told him flustered.

'Kept you up all night did he?' he joked.

'Adrian' I chastised.

'Ok. Ok. One last thing, I just wanted to let you know my plus one, her name is Scarlett' he informed me the goofy smile he got last time we spoke about her returned.

'Noted. Bye Adrian' I said impatiently.

'Bye Little Dhampir' I heard him say then the dream disappeared and I was in the blackness of sleep.

**Hope you enjoyed, please review.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Sorry for delay, hope you enjoy.**

**I do NOT own Vampire Academy**

Chapter Nineteen

Knock knock

The insatiable noise disturbed my peaceful rest and no matter how much I tried to ignore it, it just wouldn't go away. I tossed and turned with the pillow over my head praying whoever it was would go away.

'God dammit Rose let me in right this instant or I'm going to find Christian and use other methods of invading your sleep' Lissa's aggravated voice demanded through the door. She had lowered her voice for the last part so only I could hear and had emphasised the 'other methods' to ensure I understood.

I let out an almighty sigh and rose from my bed defeated. 'Calm down Liss there's no rush it'll still be my birthday in ten seconds' I shouted back as I made my way to my door.

I opened the door and there she stood a million bags in hand looking overtly flustered, I took her baggage and ushered her in. I glanced at the bags contents it was mainly stuff for getting ready I took a mental gulp, how long was this going to take? What exactly did she have in store for me?

I decided to let go of all my concerns, after all there was nothing I could do about it, might as well stay open minded. She started unpacking her supplies turning my room into a beauty salon in the process whilst she was doing that she instructed me to have a shower.

I happily agreed mainly to escape her and the space that was once my bedroom, I also found the scorching hot water soothing despite the fact Lissa's excitement was still stifling through the bond. After my shower I brushed my teeth and towel dried my hair allowing it to hang down freely over my shoulders.

I then realised in my haste to exit my room I hadn't brought any fresh clothes with me, damn I mentally chastised myself. There was nothing else for it I was going to have to make a run for it in my towel; my room was at the other end of the corridor, only a few meters away. If I timed it right and was lucky no one would spot me.

I gingerly opened the bathroom door and peered out into the corridor, the coast was clear. I secured my towel and ventured into the corridor, hoping and praying.

I heard a loud wolf whistle from behind me, crap, this was not good. I slowly turned round to see who my witness was and things got worse, stood there before me gawking was none other than Jesse Zeklos. Great I thought to myself could it be any worse?

'What the hell are you doing here?' I asked angrily not letting him see my embarrassment.

'Right place, right time, and here was me thinking it was your birthday not mine' he said smugly, still ogling me.

I wondered how he knew it was my birthday, were Lissa's plans that elaborate that the whole school knew? 'Put your tongue back in Zeklos before I slap the taste out of your mouth' I told him.

'Fiery Hathaway, maybe we could reconnect sometime, you know you want to' he said suggestively.

'In your dreams Jesse, nothing would make me go near you' I retorted firmly.

His face hardened at my rejection. 'Funny that you weren't so choosey a couple months back, but hey it's probably a lucky escape for me, who knows what I'd catch off some filthy blood whore like you. Maybe I should thank the lanky Russian for saving me from myself last time.

I just laughed at him 'Whatever Zeklos, you're nothing to me' I informed him keeping my tone casual. I turned and carried on towards my room I could hear him shouting explanatories at me, trying to get a reaction from me but I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. Once I arrived at my door I opened it and walked in, never looking back.

'What the hell was going on out there?' Lissa quizzed her brow furrowed then she noticed my attire. 'Rose where are your clothes?' she added even more confused.

'I forgot to take clean clothes to the shower with me so and decided to make a run for it in the towel but Jesse Zeklos spotted me. Apparently he doesn't like being rejected' I recapped calmly.

'I hope you weren't too mean Rose, whether you like it or not he is a royal and he carries quite a bit of influence round here. He can make your life very difficult, remember?' she replied concerned, I could feel through the bond she was thinking about when he spread those blood whore rumours about me last time and how lousy they made me feel.

'Well there wasn't any violence' I told her meekly.' 'Don't worry about me Liss I'll be fine' I said more confidently.

We spent the next couple of hours getting ready until we were both finally the finished article. We looked in the floor length mirror on my wardrobe door admiring our reflections; even I had to admit we looked good.

I partnered my all black outfit with a black choker which had a small cross hanging from it, I had left my hair down, like Dimitri liked it, and had put some major volume in it and left it slightly wavy. I had put a thin line of eyeliner on and mascara and bright red lipstick, I definitely had the whole gothic chic look down.

Liss had on a light turquoise dress which fell to just above her knee, it was quite a loose material and fairly low cut, for Liss anyway, she too wore her hair down and looked flawless as usual. We both complemented each other profusely before heading to my surprise destination.

We were walking together silently which wasn't nearly as comfortable as when Dimitri and I did it so I decided to tell her about my mother's gift and my father's second appearance in my life.

'Well at least there were no more threats this time' she said trying to be optimistic.

'That's a bonus' I said sarcastically.

'Maybe you should give him a chance Rose, I mean if that's what you want. He seems like he really wants to try and forge a relationship with you and maybe if you try to he'll refrain from breaking Dimitri's kneecaps.' She said trying to be humorous.

I laughed at her attempt but I was a little too close to the truth for my liking.

'Anyway, enough of the pessimism for tonight, you're going to be blown away when you find out where you're going tonight' she informed me.

'Does that mean where leaving the academy again?' I asked confused.

'Yes and no' Lissa giggled.

'Lissa did you use compulsion again?' I asked her seriously.

'No' she said definitively. 'I didn't have to, but that's all I'm telling you for now' she said smugly.

She then escorted me towards the gym 'You fancy a workout session Liss?' I teased. My thoughts were cut off when she opened the door and I saw the gym had been transformed into a party room there were white drapes covering the walls, a long table in the centre, a stereo booth and a drink and buffet table, it looked fantastic. If not a little sparse, there was only me, Liss, Christian, Adrian, Eddie and Mia inside the grand space. It then dawned on me that my Russian lover wasn't here; I looked towards the drink table to check he wasn't over there, no such luck.

'The green punch is spiked' Liss giggled noticing me glaring at the refreshments. I rolled my eyes at her 'Where's Dimitri?' I enquired acting blasé, but inside I was frantic. Liss must have seen through my façade 'At this very second I'm not sure but stop panicking Rose he'll be here' she assured me.

Liss fetched me a glass of punch, the non-alcoholic one and a spiked one for herself and I went over to everyone and thanked them for coming. I heard the gym door and automatically looked to it a few more of my classmates entered but sadly not Dimitri. At least the gym was looking a bit fuller; I was beginning to feel like a right billy no mates before.

I continued to mingle and had just about got round everyone when I noticed my glass was empty and headed over to the punch to top it up. I was investigating the buffet when I felt someone behind me touch my arm gently. A bolt of electricity shot through my body from the contact and I didn't have to turn around to know it was him.

I turned around and my breath caught the sight of the divine creature before me dressed in all black attire. 'You look magnificent' he whispered so only I could hear. 'You scrub up well yourself, Mr Belikov' I teased. I heard a low growl escape Dimitri's throat. 'я тебя люблю' he whispered to me in Russian.

'No fair communicating in another language' I fake sulked. 'You really have to start learning me Russian comrade especially if we're going to Baia after graduation' I told him.

He cocked one eyebrow up at me it won't be easy Roza, you'd really have to apply yourself and concentrate and I said I love you' he explained.

'I only need to learn the basics comrade, besides it will be worth it if I sound as sexy as you do speaking it' I whispered.

'I would love nothing more than to hear you speak my native tongue even if you do butcher it at first. Let's start now' he suggested and then lent down and whispered in my ear. 'Ты выйдешь за меня?'

'What does that mean?' I asked.

'That one Roza you have to translate for yourself, I know you can do it' he smiled. It was so frustrating, I could barely pronounce the words let alone translate them, but I would find a way I always did.

The party continued and virtually everyone in my year showed up, even those I didn't like. We ate, I opened presents and nearly everyone except me got merry on the lethal punch. It had been a fun night and it was still pretty early, I was ready to party the night away when Lissa started pulling at my arm trying to drag me in the direction of the exit. 'It's time for you to leave Rose' she told me.

'What do you mean leave, it's only early' I countered. 'No silly, it's time for Dimitri's gift' she said smiling. I was very confused but allowed he to drag me away; she pulled me to the car park and ordered me to get inside a black SUV that was waiting. 'I hope you enjoy the rest of your birthday Rose, I'll see you tomorrow' she said hugging me. 'Bye Liss, thanks for everything' I replied still confused.

Once I got inside the SUV I saw Dimitri sitting in the driver's seat, he smiled broadly at me. 'What's this all about Comrade?' I asked.

'I'm whisking you off for the night to pamper you Roza' he answered.

'How'd you pull this one off?' I enquired.

'It's official mentor, student training time, of course. Which requires an overnight stay in a hotel' he smiled

'So it's just going to be you and me and a hotel room?' I asked excited.

'Well technically I booked two rooms, but yeah basically' he responded.

My smile grew and we spent the rest of the journey in comfortable silence.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter twenty

**I do NOT own Vampire Academy.**

**Sorry again for delay but finished my first semester at uni now so updates should be more frequent.**

**Hope you all enjoy and let me know what you think.**

We pulled up to the extravagant, posh looking hotel and Dimitri got out of the car, grabbed two bags from the boot and opened the passenger door for me. He held my hand in his own and led me to the reception explaining to me Liss had packed me an overnight bag.

We were escorted to our room which was luscious, it a king size bed and was decorated in a red and gold colour scheme, it just screamed affluence. Not that we paid much attention to the décor and soon the only screams to be heard we Dimitri's and my own.

After having sex, a few times, I laid my head on Dimitri's chest totally satisfied whilst he gently stroked my hair and murmured to me in Russian. It was so refreshing to be able to lie here with him and not have to worry about anything, it was just him and me and it was perfect. I slowly fell asleep in the faultless situation.

I woke up the next morning, all be it early, feeling refreshed. Dimitri was still asleep so I quietly got up, brushed my hair and teeth and threw on some sweats Liss had packed. I left a note on my pillow for Dimitri and left the hotel for a jog.

I was on my second lap of the block and it felt good to exercise my muscles, the sun hadn't risen yet and the brisk air whipped my face. I noticed something to my left and turned to look but there was nothing there, I slowed down alert and looked behind me convinced I had seen something. My body froze instantaneously as I saw two sets of red ringed eyes mere inches from me. Shit.

I was totally unprepared and didn't have a stake or anything, I searched round quickly but couldn't see anything that remotely looked like a weapon, this was it, what was I going to do?

I couldn't run; they were too close so I did the only thing I could, I pulled my arm back and brought it forward connecting with one of the strigoi's face. There was so much power in it he fell back slightly and I focused my attention on the second one.

We were exchanging hits all the while I was trying to conjure up a possible escape plan, then I felt an ice cold pair of hands on my sides and I was suddenly flying through the air. My head connected hard with a wall a few meters from us and I could feel warm blood streaming down my face. 'Shit' I said consequently, the pain evident in my voice.

Before I could get up both strigoi were stood over me and I knew there was no way out from here, I tensed myself and briefly allowed myself to think about Liss, Dimitri and last night. One of the pale figures in front of me leaned towards me and I distinctly thought to myself this is it.

But as she neared she stopped and I saw something shiny shoot through her chest then she went limp. I looked up, a little dazed from the head wound and saw Dimitri fighting gracefully with the other creature. He despatched him soon enough and ran over to me 'Roza' he shouted concern evident in his voice.

'I'm fine comrade, it's just a scratch' I tried to placate him. He scooped me into his arms bridal style and carried me back to the hotel. Once there we both showered and Dimitri attended to my head injury, after it was bandaged up he placed soft, delicate kisses around it.

'What were you thinking Rose?' he eventually asked me seriously.

'I wasn't, I just fancied a jog and didn't want to disturb you' I tried to explain.

'Before sunrise and without a weapon?' he pushed, annoyance creeping into his voice.

'I never thought, I'm sorry. But at least I've learnt my lesson' I said trying to diffuse the situation.

'Don't ever do that again Rose, if I hadn't been there-' he trailed off, a mixture of anger and fear in his eyes.

'I know, I know, I'm sorry' I said exasperated.

He gripped my face in his hand and looked me dead in the eyes. 'I can't lose you Rose, I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you' he told me lovingly. Then he kissed me passionately swallowing up any response I might have had.

Soon afterwards we had to head back to the academy and resume hiding our feelings, Dimitri must have picked up on my disappointment as he allowed me to choose the radio station so my ears didn't have to endure his crappy old music.

When we arrived Dimitri told me to go to my room and he would sign us back in and explain our incident. 'Will you be coming to my room later tonight? I don't think I should sleep alone considering the head wound.' I said, taking advantage of my injury. 'I'll come round about 10, after my shift' he answered, and then we parted ways.

I was almost at my room when I bumped into Gustav one of the backup guardians. 'Oh good, your back, that means I can go back to court now Belikovs here' he said enthusiastically. 'What happened to your head? A training accident?' he enquired.

'Nah' we encountered some strigoi and I was weaponless, luckily Dimitri was there to save the day' I explained. 'Quite' he agreed. We were about to part ways when something struck me 'Wait, your Russian right?' I asked him. He chuckled a little, 'Right' he nodded.

'What does Ты выйдешь за меня? Mean?' I asked.

He looked a little taken aback and I wondered if I'd said it correctly. 'Are you asking me Rose?' he joked.

'What? So it's a question?' I said.

'Yeah, and not just any old question, where'd you hear that?' he asked puzzled.

Sensing I probably shouldn't have brought this up I decided against bringing Dimitri into this. 'Err I saw a guy say it to a girl on a sitcom and didn't know what it meant' I lied trying to act indifferent.

'Awww' he said and I think he bought it. 'Didn't the rest of the program give it away?' he stated.

'I fell asleep during the commercial and missed it' I lied again.

'Right' he said and shook his head. 'It means will you marry me?' he finally answered.

'Alright, thanks for that' I replied, then we departed and I went to my room. Suddenly it hit me, if that's what it means then Dimitri wants to marry me. My head was spinning as I let myself back into my room but I was pulled back down to earth by a note that had been slid under my door.

It read. Ты выйдешь за меня? Tut, tut, tut, your mentor should know better.I recognised the handwriting, it belonged to Jesse Zeklos, shit we were in deep fucking trouble.

I sat on my bed panic and shock radiated from me but I slowly forced myself to think rationally, in order to try and figure a way out of this predicament. No obvious answers came to me and the panic started to rear its ugly head again, I quickly checked the bond partly as a distraction and partly hoping I'd find Liss and she'd come up with a brilliant solution.

It was getting quite late about 7 o'clock and Liss was in the library studying, thankfully she was alone, I quickly put on my trainers and ran to her. I made my way to the library and took the seat opposite her. A smile spread across her face 'Ahh Rose your back, what was it like? I want details-' she abruptly cut herself off. 'What the hell happened to your head?' She demanded frantically.

'Oh that, it's just a scratch and frankly it's the least of my problems' I assured her. Fear was evident in her eyes and she bombarded me with questions through the bond. 'Look let's get out of here and I'll explain everything. We can go to my room, there's something there I need to show you.' I explained.

'Ok, but I'm healing you when we get to your room, I'm not taking no for an answer' she insisted. I could tell she wouldn't budge. We arrived at my room and she healed me straight away and the demanded to know what happened.

'I decided to head out unprepared for an impromptu jog and ran into two strigoi, luckily Dimitri found me and saved the day' I told her casually. She was angry at how blasé I was recalling the events. 'You could have died' she spat out exasperated.

I put a comforting hand on her shoulder 'I know Liss, Dimitri already told me how stupid and reckless I was and I swear I'll never do it again. But I wasn't kidding before when I said that isn't my biggest concern right now' I reiterated.

'What's up?' she asked. Without saying a word I got up and showed her the note, I could see her eyes reading it over and over as though she'd misread it. 'What does this mean?' she asked me, excitement creeping into her features. I knew Liss could speak Russian so it wasn't a translation she was asking for, and it suddenly occurred to me I should have asked her for the translation not Gustav but I put that thought to the back of my mind. When I didn't answer her, she filled in the blanks. 'Dimitri asked you to marry him?' She asked elated, through the bond I could feel her making wedding arrangements already.

'Liss' I said bluntly, regaining her attention. 'Jesse Zeklos knows.' I could practically hear the bump and she came crashing back down to earth.

We looked at each other sombrely.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter twenty-one

**I do NOT own Vampire Academy.**

**Hope you all enjoy.**

'What the hell are you going to do?' she asked after a few moments had passed. It was a rarity to hear Liss swear but at least it proved she understood the situations severity.

'I have no idea' I conceded.

'What did Dimitri say?' She questioned.

'He doesn't know yet, I'll tell him when I see him after his shift tonight' I explained, sadness adorned my face.

Her gaze turned sympathetic and she pulled me into a hug and told me she'd be there for me no matter what, I fought back the tears trying to escape.

Suddenly I felt a new emotion through the bond, curiosity. 'What did you tell Dimitri?' She asked unable to help herself. I couldn't help the smile that came to my lips; despite the dire state of affairs she couldn't contain her romantic side.

'Nothing yet, he asked me in Russian and I only just translated it' I told her honestly.

'What are you going to tell him?' She pushed, dying to know.

'Yes. Of course' I answered like it was obvious. We both began to shriek and bounce on the bed as we let the excitement take over for a moment. Then we turned serious again and she offered to stay with me and help me try to figure something out until Dimitri arrived. I knew that would mean her breaking curfew but I also knew Dimitri wouldn't let Liss get in trouble for me, especially when he heard the reason.

We sat there discussing the situation without actually getting anywhere as time ticked by. I noticed 10 o'clock had come and gone, which meant Dimitri was late, I didn't let myself focus on that and instead we concentrated on the matter at hand. We approached it from every angle still to no avail before we both finally gave into tiredness and fell asleep.

I was awaked by the sound of my door closing and I was instantly on alert, I looked around and noticed Lissa still slept peacefully next to me and then I saw Dimitri at the door. I ran to him without waking Lissa, looking at the clock as I passed, 3:13. 'What time do you call this comrade?' I teased.

He raised an eyebrow 'what do you call this' he countered whilst staring at Lissa's sleeping form. 'It's way past curfew and it's a school night. What were you thinking?' he chastised.

Suddenly anger welled up inside of me. 'Hey! She was helping me out with something, she was gonna stay till you arrived which was meant to be at 10 o'clock then go back to her room. When you didn't show I could hardly let her go back unescorted and risk her getting into trouble' I protested, keeping my voice quiet so I didn't wake Liss.

'So you assumed I would help you break the rules?' he asked harshly.

Tears filled my eyes but I refused to release them. 'You have no idea what we were doing, you just assume the worst in me' I retorted bitterly and threw Jesses note at him.

'What's this?' he asked confused, whilst opening the note. 'That comrade is the reason Liss is here, she was trying to help me fix our situation' I answered bitterness still lacing my voice.

He read the note and understanding swept his features. 'It's Jesse Zeklos' handwriting' I informed him. Understanding changed to alarm and then to compassion.

He swept me into his arms and brought our lips together and just like that our fight was forgotten. The kiss was beginning to make me light headed before he gently put me down and turned towards the door.

'Where are you going?' I asked.

'To sort this problem right now' he replied crisply, grasping the piece of paper. What does that mean? I wondered.

He reached the door and began to open it. 'Oh comrade' I said.

He turned to face me 'Yeah'.

'Yes. My answer is yes.'

A perfect smile formed on his lips reaching his glorious eyes making him even more breathtakingly beautiful. 'You have just made me the happiest man alive Roza' he said. Then he walked out of the door.

I rushed over and shook Lissa, effectively waking her up.

'What, what's the matter Rose?' She asked sleepily. I quickly recapped my conversation with Dimitri. 'We have to follow him and see what he's going to do. I bet he's gone to Jesse's room which is near yours so I'll drop you off on the way' I told her.

Without further ado we snuck out of my room and downstairs to the entrance of the main lobby were the exit was. The moroi on duty looked bored stiff and as luck would have it the telephone rang breaking him out of his stare. He jumped out of his seat and turned around to grab the phone giving us our chance to escape. I grabbed Lissa's arm and pulled her silently through the lobby and outside before the moroi turned around and regained his seat. Bingo.

We discreetly made our way to Lissa's and Jesse's dorm as we approached I pulled Lissa round the back of the building to a set of rickety looking outside steps which led to the second floor. They were meant to be a fire exit but looked like they would buckle and collapse if even the slightest weight was put on them. I however knew from plenty of previous encounters with them that the decrepit looking staircase was much stronger than it appeared.

'You don't honestly expect me to claim those do you?' Lissa asked aghast.

'It'll be fine, there safe I promise' I assured her.

'How can you be so sure?' She asked sceptically.

I gave her one of my 'don't ask ridiculous questions, I'm Rose Hathaway, how do you think I know' expressions. The 'ahhh' sound she made making it obvious she understood. 'Besides I have it on good authority the fire door at the top of these particular steps is faulty and opens with a good push from the outside, so it's our best chance at a discreet entrance.' I explained.

'And how do you know that?' she asked almost accusingly.

A wicked smile found my lips 'because I broke it.'

'Rose!' she declared disapprovingly. 'Destruction of school property can land you in a lot of trouble, why would you risk that?'

'Relax Liss, I did it before our little escape. They must never have noticed and therefor luckily for us never fixed it.' I countered smugly. 'Now stop stalling and start climbing.'

I could see the reluctance in her eyes but through the bond I felt her accept the fact I would never make her do something that would possibly endanger her and so she unenthusiastically started climbing. I started right behind her; I'd sent her up first purposely so if anything did happen and she fell at least she might land on me. I didn't like using myself as a potential landing cushion but I really doubted that anything would happen.

When we finally reached the top (and I say finally because Lissa took an age to climb) I stepped past Lissa and forcefully pushed the door and then heard a clicking sound. With that I knew I'd done enough and simply slid the door open. When we were both inside I could tell from the goofy smile on her face and from the adrenalin fuelled emotions in the bond Liss was exhilarated from what she perceived as our daring breaking and entering adventure.

'That was exhilarating' she admitted verbally. 'So that's how it feels to be the reckless Rose Hathaway' she added playfully.

'I coolly shook my head at her 'That Liss, was nothing. It doesn't even feature on the list of irresponsible stunts pulled by Rose Hathaway; breaking and entering is second nature, its cake. Especially when it's that easy, it's like they actually want me to do it.' I answered wickedly. This earned me a roguish smile and then a disapproving shake of the head.

The second floor was home to Lissa's room, I walked her there and promised to meet up with her tomorrow before class and tell her everything. I then made my way to the third floor and to Jesse's room. His door was ever so slightly ajar and conveniently there was a small gap in the wall between his room and his neighbours, it was just big enough to fit a small nosy dhampir girl. Perfect.

I hid in the gap and started listening I could hear the rustling of paper and guessed that was the incriminating note Dimitri had brought with him. 'What is the meaning of this? What are you proposing?' Dimitri roared quietly.

'I'm not proposing anything, apparently that's your domain' Jesse retorted flippantly trying to sound confident but the underlying fear was easy to hear. I obviously couldn't see his face but I'd bet anything his expression was giving him away to.

I heard a cold, calculated laugh that sent a shiver down my spine then realised it had come from Dimitri. 'Do not play games with me boy, I don't know or care if this is part of some childish vendetta you have with Rose. But you should know this, there is nothing I would not do to protect Rose, do you hear me? This ends now.' Dimitri declared. I barely recognised his voice and truthfully the malicious tone of it terrified me, I could only imagine the effect it had on Jesse.

'I understand' Jesse cried meekly. I swear I could hear him physically sobbing.

'Do you?' Dimitri questioned his voice still uncharacteristically hard.

I heard someone scrambling around and for a second wondered if Dimitri had attacked Jesse but quickly disregarded of those thoughts. I would have heard Jesse scream if Dimitri had hit him. 'Look, see' Jesse began frantically. 'I video'd it on my phone but I'll delete it right now, so you know it's gone.' Man he must have been scared to voluntarily hand over leverage like that, but I was thankful he had.

I then heard I loud crunch and assumed that was Jesse's phone out of the equation all together. 'Hey that was expensive' Jesse said petulantly. Obviously thinking handing over his evidence meant he was safe. 'Students are not allowed mobile phones' Dimitri replied authoritatively.

Then I heard footsteps 'This ends now' Dimitri repeated, finality ringing in his words. I heard Jesse's front door shut too. I sprung out of my hiding spot knowing that Jesse's door closing signalled Dimitri had left his room. Dimitri eyed me alertly but seemed unfazed by my sudden appearance.

'Don't tell me you expected me to be here Comrade' I moaned, disappointed I hadn't managed to catch my God off guard.

'I've learnt to expect the unexpected with you Rose' he said submissively. 'Why are you following me?'

'I wanted to make sure you didn't do anything rash' I answered honestly, stifling a giggle at the thought of me accusing him of being rash.

He raised an eyebrow and moved us out of the way into the staircase room 'And are my actions ok with you? Not to rash?' he attempted a joke.

'It scared me a little. You scared me a little' I admitted, only realising how true the words were when I said them out loud.

His features softened and he pulled into an embrace, then he held my cheeks in his hands lifting my face so our eyes locked. 'I would do anything to protect you Roza' he reconfirmed. His words terrified me and made me feel invincible at the same time. They also reminded me of our encounter with Victor Dashkov in the holding cells, he'd said something similar to me then, the wrongness of his statement made me shudder.

Then his lips found mine and any other thoughts drifted away.

**Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed.**

**I've already drafted the next 2 chapters so they should be up soon but i'm having a touch of writers block any storyline ideas would be more than welcome. Thanks again.**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

**Sorry for the long wait, I've been super busy and have had some writers block. To be honest I've been debating whether or not to continue the story, I don't know whether it's become stagnant? I'm gonna try and get another chapter out today or tomorrow and speed things up a bit to move the story along and hopefully make it more exciting. What do you guys think, should I continue? It's your opinions that matter at the end of the day.**

**Sorry for going on a bit, hope you enjoy.**

Thankfully the next few weeks passed quickly and uneventfully and eventually it was the day of my trials. I woke with feelings of both excitement and dread mixed in there was also a little fear, but I think that was more to do with leaving the security of the academy and everything changing rather than the trails themselves. Part of me couldn't wait to escape but it was suddenly dawning on me when we stepped into the big bad world I was on my own, there would be no one to step-in if I messed up. And I couldn't afford to mess up; Lissa's life depended on me.

I quickly pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind choosing instead to focus on the trials; I climbed out of bed and quickly got ready, changing into workout gear to do the tests in. I started walking towards the canteen where I was going to meet Lissa then we were going to walk over to the testing area together.

I walked in and she gave me a blinding smile, I grabbed an éclair and a drink and moseyed on over to her. 'Are you nervous?' She asked beaming.

'Who me? No way. The way I see it the guardians should be worrying about what I'm going to do to them and their precious assault course' I teased.

'Modest as always, I see. And to think people actually believe you're an egomaniac' Lissa giggled.

We finished up breakfast and set off, Lissa reassuring me along the way that everything would be fine, she swore that there was no one else she would feel as comfortable entrusting her life with than me and told me not to worry, insisting I should be focusing 100% on my trials. When we arrived Lissa wasn't allowed inside the arena, as we already knew, so she headed off to meet Christian and the rest of the gang in the stands. Leaving me to walk into the unknown alone, being Rose Hathaway I put on my best 'nothing in the world could faze me' face and made my grand entrance.

I was directed to a large room where all the other novices were preparing and waiting to be called up, the trials hadn't actually started yet so most of the novices were either stretching or interacting with their family members. Watching everyone around me getting supportive pep talks from their parents hit a nerve with me and suddenly I began to feel very alone. The stifling loneliness was threatening to enthral me when I felt a warm, firm hand slide across my lower back leaving a heat explosion where it had been. 'Good morning Roza. Are you nervous? You look…distracted' Dimitri asked, his accent thick. He was trying to sound normal but I could see his worry for me.

'I'm fine Comrade, just imagining the fun you guys have prepared for me' I lied.

He eyed me thoughtfully and I knew he didn't believe me but there was nothing he could do with all these people around. Dimitri and I had tried to keep our relationship as platonic as possible until graduation both to ensure we didn't have another Jesse situation and so he was fully focused on training me as a guardian and save for a few stolen kisses we'd been pretty successful.

'Well try to remember everything I've taught you and you'll be fine. You can do this Roza' he said calmly. Then he lent down so we were more or less at eye level, to anyone looking it probably looked like he was giving me some last minute tips, his close proximity thrilled me and I could feel his warm breath on my ear. 'You're lying to me Roza, I can always tell when you're lying' he whispered.

'I- I- it's nothing, really Comrade' he eyed me impatiently. 'I was just looking at all my um classmates…with their um…families… and it got to me a bit…that's all. Honestly I'm fine' I tried to sound bold.

His guardian mask momentarily shattered and then it was back in full force, I could tell it pained him to see me like this and be unable to do anything about it. 'Honestly Comrade don't worry about me, I'll be fine' I reiterated trying to sound confident.

'I do worry about you Roza. It's my duty' he told me fiercely. His words exhilarated and terrified me at the same time and we both knew he shouldn't be saying them.

'Your duty is to them. They come first' I told him feebly. He didn't verbally reply straight away and I could see his inner torment but his eyes told me that I came first. 'That's why we have different assignments' he reminded me when he eventually spoke.

He then rose to his feet and I felt dizzy at the loss of closeness between us 'Good luck out there, no that you need it' he smiled. Then he walked away, somehow managing to discreetly squeeze my hand as he left.

The remainder of the wait was a blur until suddenly I heard my name called over the tannoy signalling it was my time to shine. I walked out to the assault course not knowing what to expect, we weren't allowed to watch the other novices until after we had completed the trial ourselves. There were lots of different obstacle's dotted around each mimicking a different scenario, I looked into the crowd and saw my friends cheering me on. But no Liss, my cool façade started to fall and panic seeped into me. Where was Liss?

I had to forget about that for now, I knew from the bond that she was safe so I blocked everything out and began the tests, working through them methodologically like a machine, quickly and effectively dispatching each obstacle put in my path. The quicker I finished the quicker I could find Liss.

It was time for my last test and I was told this would involve me protecting a moroi whilst numerous 'strigoi' attempted attacks. This sounded pretty straight forward, just like real life, I heard them call for my moroi and assumed it would be another guardian role playing but instead Lissa gracefully made her way across the arena. Her smile instantly calmed me and she shot me a desperate message through the bond saying she had no idea about this earlier; I smiled to show her it was fine.

As soon as she reached me a gong rang out signalling the trial had begun, I quickly positioned Liss between me and the wall behind me, telling her to stay low and wait for my command. She obliged promptly and I assumed a protective stance, several 'strigoi' came at us, some individually, some in pairs or small groups and I 'killed' them all, keeping Liss protected.

I was starting to get tired and hoped it was almost over then I saw a deadly fast movement to my left I turned to see none other than Guardian Hathaway, my mother and one badass fighter. I automatically went on the offense as did she and we tackled each other to the ground we were rolling around until I managed to use my larger size to gain a slight advantage.

I was straddling her and quickly swiped my 'stake' at her chest, but she was fast and she managed to buck underneath me throwing me off of her. I quickly got to my feet and tried to go straight back to the fray but something hit my side, hard. I went flying into the wall behind me, head first, somehow managing to push Lissa out of danger while I was flying through the air. I shot back up quickly ignoring the stars in my vision, my mum ran at me and I managed to 'stake' her, she obviously didn't expect me to recover as quickly as I had.

Then I turned to face my second opponent and it was Dimitri's chocolate brown eyes staring back at me. I hesitated for a split second and he utilised this and went for Lissa but I was right behind him and managed to get my body between them. I ordered Liss to get on the ground and started sparring with Dimitri. This seemed to last forever we were so evenly matched and knew each other so well that neither of us could gain any advantage. I noticed there was a lot of blood but couldn't see any marks on Dimitri and vaguely wondered where it had come from but quickly dissolved those thoughts, focusing 100% on our battle.

We were getting nowhere and I was growing more tired by the second, just then he managed to throw me to the floor and used his weight to pin me there. My leg kicked out and connected lethally with his head causing him to lose his grip, that was my opening, I spun myself around onto his back grabbing his chin and pulling his head towards me, and then I pulled out my fake sword and brought it to his neck. This signalled I had decapitated him and therefor been triumphant, I heard the crowd I'd long since forgotten about raw loudly and heard the gong signalling the end of my trials, then Liss threw herself at me and squeezed telling me how proud she was.

I looked at Dimitri who beamed at me proudly and again noticed all the blood, where had it come from? Guardians came over presumably to escort me off so they could clear up the course for the next novice.

'We need a medic' I heard Dimitri command.

I was confused for a second then noticed him looking at me, I raised my hand to my head and flinched at the pain the light contact made, when I looked at my fingers they were red. It was my blood that was everywhere.

My head was suddenly banging and I felt like I was going to pass out, the guardian's swarmed around me congratulating me and asking me if I was alright and I told them I was fine. Then I felt familiar arms encircle my waist 'You did real good Roza, now let's get you to a doctor to look at your head' Dimitri sung whilst leading me to the exit.

To be honest I think he was the only thing holding me up, but I didn't want anyone else to know that. As soon as we were out of the arena Dimitri scooped me up into his arms bridal style and picked up the pace, trying to be as careful as possible. My head felt like it was exploding now and I was suddenly in desperate need of a nap.

'Roza' Dimitri's stern voice forced me to open my eyes and look at him, he looked almost frantic. 'I need you to keep your eyes open. Can you do that for me?' His voice had now lost all its sternness and was as smooth as silk. I gave him my best smile 'I'd do anything for you Comrade' I promised.

When we finally reached the clinic he was calling anxiously for a doctor and somewhere in the back of my mind it registered his worry was for me and this must be serious but I couldn't hold onto that fleeting thought. I heard a doctor direct him to a room and then he carefully laid me on the bed, they were conversing wildly but for some reason I couldn't hear anything they said even though they were stood over me.

At that point I decided it was ok to sleep and closed my eyes, almost instantly I was out.

**Please review and tell me if you think I should continue?**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

**A super speedy update for you guys. I won't be able to update next week :(**

**Would like to get a few more opinions from you guys whether or not I should continue my story?**

**I do NOT own Vampire Academy.**

I woke up in the same hospital bed with Lissa and Dimitri watching me anxiously obviously awaiting my awakening. Apparently I had split my head open and fractured my skull plus a few other minor injuries but Lissa had healed me and so I felt absolutely fine now. After carrying out my observations and everything coming back clear I insisted the nurse discharge me so I wouldn't miss my graduation ceremony tonight or Lissa's tomorrow and to my surprise she agreed willingly.

Dimitri and Lissa escorted me to my room, as I apparently needed supervision, so we could pack for Russia then start getting ready for tonight.

'Are you gonna miss me?' I asked Lissa.

'Hell yeah. And I'm not looking forward to going to court on my own either' Lissa replied miserably.

'You won't be on your own Liss, you'll have Christian and Adrian and Mia's at court. Plus I'll only be gone a couple of months max, I'll call or Skype you everyday day I promise' I reassured her.

I felt some of her anxiety lift through the bond. 'I suppose, it's just me and you always do everything together, it's been that way since kindergarten' she sighed.

'I know Liss but I'll be back before you know it and then I'm all yours. I will literately devote my life to you' I joked.

I felt a pang of guilt through the bond at my comment. 'Have fun in Russia Rose and when you get back I'll make sure you get time to spend with Dimitri, Rose time. It won't all be about me and university and moroi politics' she promised.

'Don't worry about that Liss I knew what I was signing up for, there is nothing I would rather do than protect you' I reassured her.

Despite my reassurances I could feel Lissa's unease and guilt through the bond, we'd been packing for a while and I decided she needed a distraction. 'Hey Comrade Do you think we're fully packed yet' I pleaded.

He chuckled slightly 'I'd say so, we've filled two cases and that's just your stuff. I'm sure if there's anything else we can buy it over there, I've told you it's not a derelict artic wasteland, there are shops in Siberia' he teased.

'And I've told you I don't believe you' I retorted sarcastically. A genuine smile spread across his lips and he shook his head in mock disapproval.

'That means we can get ready for tonight Liss, you can do my makeup if you like?' I offered. I sensed her excitement replacing the negative feelings in the bond and despite the fact I hated makeovers I couldn't help but be pleased with myself.

'I'm going to go and finalise a few things, I'll leave you two to have fun getting ready' Dimitri piped in.

I can't believe he was abandoning me to suffer my makeover hell alone, I glared at him. 'Do you have to leave so soon?' my voice all but begged.

He gave me an evil grin. 'Well you and the Princess are going to be occupied with beautifying yourselves and I have a few errands to run' he rationalised cunningly. 'Call me Lissa' Lissa reiterated for the millionth time.

I gave him another death glare. 'Goodbye Lissa, Rose. Have fun' he emphasised the word Lissa. I could hear the snicker in his voice when he said have fun so I threw my trainer at his head, but he was gone so quickly it hit my door instead. Damn.

An age later we were both finally ready I was wearing a black strapless, figure hugging, dress which fell to my knee with black stiletto heels. Liss had taken all my hair up in a plated twist around my head making me look sophisticated and allowing easy access when they came to do my promise mark. Liss was wearing a mint green dress with spaghetti straps that floated out from the bust down with nude heels. We both looked adorable even if I do say so myself.

We crossed the quad to the gym where the dhampir ceremony was being held, we would receive our diplomas and promise marks in the service and then all the novices would hang around afterwards to socialise. There wouldn't be any moroi there really; just graduating novices and their families, the moroi ceremony was tomorrow. But Liss was going as my personal guest seen as I had no family members to invite.

As we approached Stan was standing at the door 'Miss Hathaway the moroi are not attending this party as you very well know. Even if she is the Princess and your bestie' he chastised sarcastically. My blood began to boil 'Actually she's my plus one' I demanded throwing my personal guest ticket at him. He kept looking between us and the ticket, obviously flustered, eventually I saw the defeat in his eyes. 'Very well, you may both go inside' he said through grated teeth. Score one for guardian Hathaway.

Once we were inside and the ceremony began Lissa went to stand with the other guests and I took my sat amongst my classmates. First they called us up and gave us our diplomas and then after everyone had retrieved there's they called us up to receive our tattoos. When my name was called I went up and knelt down placing my neck on the rest so I could see everyone watching me get my tattoo. My eyes wondered to Dimitri who was smiling proudly, I stayed perfectly still whilst he did it despite the stinging sensation, I knew what to expect from my previous marks. Afterwards he bandaged it up and I went over and shook both Alberta's and Kirova's hands and they both congratulated me, then I retook my seat.

The rest of the ceremony flew past after that and I was able to find Liss, it would be her turn tomorrow, both moroi and dhampir attended the moroi graduation ceremony as this was when the newly graduated guardians were given their assignments. We chatted a little until Dimitri approached and joined in our conversation telling me how great I was. We had decided we weren't going to any parties tonight we would save that for tomorrow so a couple of hours after the service we decided to head to our rooms.

Dimitri left with us surprisingly and we walked Liss back to her room first, we said our goodnights and Liss arranged for me to go to her room tomorrow to get ready. She explained I wouldn't need to bring anything with me, she had everything, and apparently she'd even bought me a new outfit too.

After she went inside I turned and started walking towards my room before Dimitri pulled me back. 'Where do you think you're going?' he asked sexily.

I was confused but liked where this was heading 'To my room. Unless you have somewhere better in mind?' I replied innocently. He picked me up and rushed us to the back of the moroi dorms, out of sight. He slammed my back against the wall and forcefully attacked me with his lips electing a throaty growl from me whilst his hands roamed my body freely. Eventually we had to tear apart before things went too far in public.

'I like it when you get assertive' I told him seductively. He moaned and grasped my hand before taking off at a brisk pace I could barely keep up with. 'I am taking you to my room where I can assert my authority some more' he told me hoarsely.

'And what if I refuse?' I asked seductively bringing us to an abrupt halt.

'You will do as you're told Roza. I'm in control tonight' he answered fiercely. This produced an excited giggle from me and we all but ran to his room.

I woke up the next morning wrapped in Dimitri's arms. I felt a little sore, after last night I think I might be ok with Dimitri taking charge more often I giggled to myself.

'Hum. Is everything ok Roza' Dimitri stirred, holding me tighter against him.

'Everything is perfect, General' I chuckled. He instantly flipped us over so he was on top of me pinning me to the bed. 'So now you accept me as your superior?' he quizzed comically.

I tried to unsuccessfully to free myself then let out a large huff in frustration. 'Maybe sometimes I'll let you be General, but I'm still your equal' I accepted.

He loosened his grip and looked into my eyes, his gaze was soft and filled with love. 'You've always been my equal Roza' he assured me. Then he gave me a deep, long kiss, unfortunately before it could escalate I heard Lissa screaming at me though the bond. 'I hope you're up Rose, and by up I mean physically out of bed not rolling around with a certain Russian.'

'What's so funny?' Dimitri asked intrigued.

'I'm gonna have to take a rain check Comrade, Lissa knows me too well' I sighed.

He sat up separating us, 'Are you having a shower before you leave for Lissa's?' he asked curiously.

'Sure. I'm not gonna head over there smelling am I?' I teased, unsure where this was leading. He swept me into his arms and headed towards the bathroom, 'well maybe we can multitask' he replied cunningly bringing his lips to mine once more.

I had just left Comrades room after our extremely long shower when I heard somebody behind me clear their throat, shit this was not good. I had wet hair and was wearing last night's clothes, shit, shit, shit, how was I going to talk myself out of this one? I turned to see my father Abe Mazur and an academy guardian Emil, who just so happened to be a friend of Dimitri's.

Abe had a very self-satisfied look on his face, he was going to enjoy this and Emil couldn't hide his shock, I guess some situations defied years of guardian mask training. 'Let me guess, your shower broke so you popped round to borrow Guardian Belikov's?' Abe chastised mockingly, obviously enjoying watching me squirm.

Emil still hadn't managed to regain his composure, you could almost see the cogs turning as he tried to reach an innocent conclusion even though he could see the blatant truth. 'What are you doing here Rose?' He eventually asked, apparently in situations like these all formalities went out the window.

'I just popped in for a quick chat with Guardian Belikov about the Guardian assignment ceremony before I head over to Lissa's to get ready' I answered calmly. You could see Emil wanted to believe me.

'With freshly wet hair?' Abe interjected accusingly. I gave him a glare 'It's easier for Liss to style when it's wet' I said warningly.

Emil despite wanting to didn't believe a word I said; I gave him an innocent smile. 'Your dress looks fetching Kiz, although not as good as it did last night, let me guess you forgot to do your laundry' Abe continued.

This situation was hopeless, I can't believe we'd been busted the day before I left the academy and we could finally announce our relationship. I needed to speak with Abe alone. 'Emil can you give us a minute?' I asked politely but not bothering with formalities. He simply nodded and turned to walk away, still digesting what he had just witnessed. Hopefully he would speak to Dimitri before saying anything to anyone and this would get sorted quietly.

I turned my full attention and frustration to Abe. 'What the hell was that Old Man?' I demanded, he just smiled connivingly. 'What? You missed out on years of torturing me in your absence so you just thought you'd start now? Is that it old man?' I continued angrily.

His smile faded and his eyes darkened a little. 'Actually Kiz I heard from Lissa where you were so I was coming over here to watch your back. I knew there would be a few Guardians hanging around their rooms with it being the end of the year so I decided to come and try and assist you. Unfortunately you left your loveshack just as I was convincing Emil to leave. That my dear was all your fault. Well not entirely your fault, but I know how irritable you get when I bring Guardian Belikov into our polite conversations.' He argued.

'You call that trying to help. Your smartass remarks confirmed what was going on' I argued back.

'Oh please Kiz you leaving Belikov's room in last night's cloths had already confirmed it, you'd have to be a complete idiot to misunderstand what was going on' he finalised.

I couldn't argue anymore because I knew he was right. 'What are you doing back at the academy?' I asked exhausted.

'I came to see you graduate of course' he said like it was obvious.

'Well you missed it Old Man, Dhampir graduation was yesterday' I said sarcastically.

'At least I'll get to see you receive your first assignment' he said proudly.

'Too little too late' I scoffed back.

'Don't say that Kiz, you haven't even seen your congratulatory gift yet' he said with a blinding smile.

I couldn't help but grin back which annoyed me. 'You'll see me at the ceremony, I'll be the one cheering you on' he continued.

'You'll be hard to miss. You'll be the one in the garish outfit' I teased before walking away. Damn him, he actually didn't seem that bad, I was actually starting to think he was ok. I just hope Dimitri can sort out the whole Emil situation.

**Thought I'd try and build up the relationship between Rose and her dad. What do you think?**

**Big things are going to start happening from the next chapter. **

**Please RxR.**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

**Hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

**Please RxR.**

**I do NOT own Vampire Academy!**

So far the moroi graduation had gone by without any hitches, I had told Liss about the whole Abe and Emil situation whilst we were getting ready and I could feel through the bond she wanted this to be over so we could sit and chat some more. However when they called her name her feelings immediately perked up and she swayed across the stage proudly and gracefully to retrieve her diploma.

After all the moroi had received their certificates Lissa and Christian, who had also collected his own diploma all be it not as elegantly as Liss, came and sat with me awaiting the assignment ceremony. There seemed to be a delay and I noticed some teachers and guardians shifting around, there was definitely something not quite right. I looked around for Dimitri, not that he could really fill me in, suddenly my uneasiness grew when I realised he wasn't here.

I started to freak out just as Alberta's voice rang out through the microphone announcing the ceremony had begun. Where was Dimitri? And was it my imagination or was Alberta looking at me? I felt like the walls were closing in around me even though we were outside, something was definitely not right.

'Is everything alright?' Lissa questioned through the bond.

I didn't want to worry her 'I'm not sure' I answered verbally, gaining Christians attention.

'What's up?' quizzed Christian. By this point they were both staring at me, concerned looks in their eyes. I didn't want to startle them unnecessarily but I knew something was wrong, I could feel it.

'Something's wrong….. I just don't know what' I muttered, my paranoia growing by the second.

'Can it wait till after the ceremony?' Lissa asked almost pleadingly. Just then Alberta announced the charge of the first newly graduated guardian.

I forced myself to breath. 'I- I guess so' I mumbled unconvincingly. How could I fix a problem when I didn't know what the problem was? I tried to relax as Alberta read out the names of the moroi alphabetically by surname and announced their guardian or guardians.

Soon enough she reached the D's. 'Princess Vasilissa Dragamir' she announced formally and then there was the slightest of pauses and Alberta looked at me again. There was helplessness in her eyes; I knew this wasn't going to be good. 'You have be assigned Guardian..' another pause 'Eddie Castile' she eventually finished. Everyone waited with baited breath for the name of her second guardian but one never came.

Liss just sat there motionless until Alberta called her name again; Eddie walked past and briefly glanced at me disbelief and uncertainty evident in his eyes. 'What- what does this mean?' Liss asked me frantically, still not moving.

'It means they're not making me your Guardian Liss' I said gravely.

'But they only gave her one guardian, she has to have two guardians, she's the last Dragomir' Christian added.

'I don't know, all I do know is that I'm not her guardian' I replied dumbstruck.

'But I don't want any other guardian' Lissa cried, throwing her arms around me.

Kirova's voice boomed over the microphone 'Princess please could you make your way to the stage, you're holding up the entire ceremony' she commanded.

Lissa still didn't let me go straight away. 'Liss go, they're calling you' I repeated.

'No, not if it's not you up there' she sobbed. By this point everyone around us was watching us and listening to our private conversation. I could see Adrian in the distance looking at me sympathetically. Christian pulled Lissa away from me. 'Go Liss, go to Eddie. He'll protect you' I assured her.

Kirova was practically having a coronary right now, I could see Lissa didn't want to leave but again I told her to go. Eventually she wiped away her tears and made her way to the stage, next to Eddie. As Eddie took his oath to protect her I felt a tear fall down my cheek then Christian put his arm around me comfortingly. 'She'll be okay' he tried to assure me. I couldn't reply, I just felt numb.

I looked around again, Dimitri still wasn't there but I noticed Adrian's stare and I knew he knew something; I would have to wait till the ceremony was over before I got any answers. The rest of the moroi names were read out and given their guardian/s except the ones' like Christian and the non-royals who were deemed unworthy of protection. My name was never called, I didn't receive an assignment.

The minute the ceremony was over I shot from my seat, I needed answers. I ran towards Adrian, I could hear Lissa and Christian calling my name behind me. When we reached him he looked withdrawn, Eddie was with us too. 'What the fuck happened up there?' I asked him.

'They know Rose' he said sombrely. Shit, they knew about me and Dimitri.

'Where's Dimitri?' I asked.

'There questioning him right now' Adrian replied.

I'd lost my position as Lissa guardian and I knew they were going to take Dimitri away from me. I'd lose everything. I couldn't let that happen.

I heard footsteps approaching behind me, and then I heard Kirova's voice. 'Rose some information has been brought to our attention which we need to deal with immediately. Will you come with us to answer some questions please?' She asked. I saw fresh tears in Lissa's eyes as I allowed them to lead me away.

They lead me to an isolated room in the Guardian quarters and sat me in a comfortable leather armchair Kirova, Alberta and Celeste sat across from me behind a table, all female I noted. It was transparently obvious from the onset that they knew about me and Dimitri so denial was pointless; from Alberta's face it was also clear they were not aware of her previous knowledge.

They started their interrogation and Kirova was the first to speak, informing me of why I was here and the information they had received about mine and Dimitri's relationship. Then Celeste inputted in a sickly sweet voice assuring me I was not in trouble and that I hadn't done anything wrong. Too right I haven't I thought to myself. She continued to coo at me like I was a abused child until I had heard enough of them acting like I was some sort of victim.

'Where's Dimitri?' I demanded my voice harsh.

They all ignored my question like it had never been asked and instead started to ask me about what exactly had been going on between us and for how long, I in turn ignored their questions and so a pattern ensued. They would fire questions at me and I would remain silent save for when I asked them to tell me where Dimitri was, and they wouldn't answer. Lord knows how long we'd been playing this game and they were getting tired of it, Kirova looked like the vein in her head might pop, even I was sick of going round and round in fruitless circles.

Suddenly I was hit by a wave of desperate panic and it became hard to breath, the three sets of eyes across from me noticed the change in my demur and Alberta rushed to my side asking if I was alright. It wasn't my panic though so physically I was fine until Liss sent a frantic message to me through the bond. _'There taking him away'_ I automatically pushed Alberta away from me and demanded to be released, I ran for the door but Alberta caught me instantly and restrained me, hot traitorous tears escaped my eyes.

'I thought you said I hadn't done anything wrong' I cried, looking into Celeste's eyes 'then why are you doing this to me?'

Kirova signalled to Alberta and her grip on me tightened as I thrashed more to get free. 'I'm so sorry' I heard Alberta murmur to me, it was barely audible, for my ears only. 'Why, why are you taking him away from me? I sobbed as my body folded in defeat.

Alberta sensed me deflate and loosened her grip but still stayed close, just in case. 'I'm sorry Miss Hathaway but we couldn't ignore these allegations, they had to be dealt with and the perpetrator punished.' Kirova said unapologetically. 'I'm 18, no crime was committed' I replied defensively. 'Rules were broken, trust was misused. There has to be repercussions. We are running a school not a brothel' she bit back.

My blood boiled, how could she cheapen my relationship with Dimitri like that? Before I realised what I was doing I reached my arm out and slapped her across the face, the sound ricocheted around us. 'Screw you and the academy, I don't need this bullshit you heartless bastard' I roared. Her red cheeked face was laced with shock; I turned my back on her and walked out. This time nobody tried to stop me.

**Things are going to get interesting from here on out. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think or if you have any ideas, Thanks.**


	25. This is an important Authors Note!

**Sorry guys this isn't a chapter update just a quick message to say sorry for the delay. I am planning on updating in the next 2 or 3 days, I have next chapter (chapter twenty-five) complete but I don't like to update until I am at least 2 complete chapters ahead.**

**Anywho...the reason for my lateness and this authors note is I'm experiencing some major writers block as far as this story is concerned and I would really appreciate any ideas or suggestions you guys would be willing to give me whilst I'm going through this temporary glitch.**

**Many Thanks in advance. Loz. **


	26. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

**Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**I do NOT own Vampire Academy.**

I walked out of the interrogation room and exited the guardian headquarters where I saw Liss, Eddie, Christian and Adrian demanding unsuccessfully to be let in. They caught sight of me and ran over, Lissa's face was tear stained and when they reached me she threw her arms around me and rested her face in the crook of my neck.

'I'm so sorry Rose, they just- they just dragged him away' she sobbed. 'I wish there had been something I could have done but there was nothing. I was useless' she added sombrely.

'Shush Liss, don't say that. I'm- I'm going to find him' I said fiercely.

'We'll help however we can' Liss mumbled and Christian and Eddie nodded their heads in agreement.

Adrian was the only one not showing thier steely solidarity when I looked into his eyes I saw only pain and sadness, like he knew what I was about to say. 'No guys, I'm doing this on my own.' I insisted shakily. I could hear Liss's surprise through the bond and she started to argue with me silently. 'No Liss you don't understand, you can't help me. I'm leaving the academy, I have to' I explained sadly.

After that we went to my room to discuss my crazy plan and for me to pack. 'What will they do with him now?' I asked Adrian hoping he had all the answers I was looking for.

'Most likely they'll strip him of his title and exile him. Then he'll decide how and where to live his life from their' Adrian said hesitantly.

'Can you arrange me a flight to Siberia then?' I asked pleadingly, knowing that's where he'd go.

Adrian gave me a sad look before nodding and leaving the room to make the necessary calls.

'Will you come back?' Lissa snivelled. I gave her my kindest smile. 'Too you, yes undoubtedly I'll see you again and I'll be in touch everyday I'm away whether it is by phone or via our bond' I told her vehemently. 'To this life, I don't know but probably not' I added honestly.

Fresh tears evacuated her eyes and her sobs became louder and louder. 'You know I love you right, no matter what, always know that' she coaxed out barely audibly in-between sobs.

'And I love you, but you understand why I have to do this right?' I asked as my own tears started to fall.

She nodded her head 'please come back to me Rose' she pleaded and hugged me tightly.

'I promise. In the meantime Ozera and Castile I'm leaving her in your capable hands, don't you dare let me down' I warned. They both joined our hug and I heard them both promise to protect her in my absence. At that moment Adrian walked in and joined our group hug before everyone got self-conscious and pulled away.

'Well?' I asked him expectantly.

'Your flights in two hours from the Academy's private runway' he informed me smiling but it didn't reach his eyes.

'Thank you' I said sincerely

'You gotta do what you gotta do Little Dhampir just promise me you will take care of yourself' he replied. 'I promise' I said and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek.

'Is there anything you need to do before you leave?' asked Eddie.

'Actually yeah, there is someone I need to see' I replied ominously.

I left the group in my room and promised to meet them there before I took off and I set off in search of Emil. I spied the guardian rotas and discovered he was on duty doing rounds so hopefully I'll get a private moment or two with him.

I saw him checking the wards on the edge of campus and ran towards him; I couldn't miss his shudder when he saw me approaching. I wanted to rant and rave at him but knew that would get me nowhere. 'I just wanted you to know you've destroyed my life' I told him earnestly. I just looked at him for a few moments but he didn't even bother to reply so I started to turn away.

I felt his hand on my arm pulling me back 'Rose I-' he began.

'Get your hands off me' I roared, yanking my arm away.

'It wasn't me' he interjected before I could continue.

'What?' I asked dumbstruck.

'I know how it looks and I'm not sure I agree with whatever was going on between the two of you but I didn't say anything, it wasn't me' he explained. I looked into his eyes and I could tell he wasn't lying.

'Then who?' I asked confused.

He had a look that said he didn't know whether he should be telling me but he eventually caved. 'Victor Dashkov. He's trying to convince them to release him from jail. You need to watch your back Rose' I could see genuine concern when he told me the last bit.

I was at a loss for words. 'Here take this it's Dimitri's private number, I don't think the powers above have access to it' he said handing me a piece of paper.

'Thanks' I said hoarsely before I turned and started walking back to my room to say goodbye to my friends.

'Be safe' I thought I heard him say.

I reached my room and my friends were all sat there expectantly with bleary eyes, they all approached me as I entered and we once again found ourselves in a group hug. Christian's voice eventually shattered the moment. 'Not that I don't enjoy all this mushy group lovin' but you better find the strength to pull away soon Rosie or you're gonna miss your flight' he said sarcastically.

We all separated and started to make our way to the academy's private runway. It was pretty deserted which wasn't surprising considering it was only ever used by royals with more money than sense. On our way I managed to pull Eddie to one side and tell him about Victor.

'You have to keep an eye on this situation, if they let that bastard out make sure you keep her safe' I stressed.

'I understand Rose. Does she know?' He asked me.

'I haven't told her, no' I admitted.

He stared at me for a few moments before speaking again. 'Do you think I should tell her?' He finally asked.

I registered his question and pondered my answer. 'That's your call Eddie. You're her guardian now. I trust you to make the best decisions to ensure her safety' I replied. He simply nodded his head slightly in response.

Once we arrived at the plane Lissa through herself at me in a tight hug and buried her face in the crook of my neck so my hair was shielding her from the outside world. Violent sobs rocked her body; I moved my hand gently in circular motions on her lower back and quietly cooed to her that everything was going to end up alright like a mother would to a scared child.

My efforts were semi successful because after a few moments she had controlled her sobs and whispered 'I know' to me, then Christian came over and pulled her away into the security of his own arms and Eddie moved to stand right behind them.

After that I said my goodbyes to everyone else and promised to call as soon as I found Dimitri and was safe, it was like we all knew Dimitri would take care of me despite everything then I turned and boarded the plane.

Once the plane had taken off I was informed we would be stopping once to refuel but I wasn't paying attention when the stewardess said where, she also told me how long the flight would take but again I didn't take in any of the information.

I ordered an inflight meal which I ate in autopilot then asked the assistant to wake me once we stopped to refuel before allowing myself to drift off into a dreamless sleep.

After my wakeup call I stood up and walked around the small jet which was empty except for me and the staff, to get my legs walking again. Once I reached the back of the plane and was confident I had some privacy I pulled out my phone and dialled the number Emil had given to me, on the second ring someone picked up.

'Dimitri' I sobbed.

'Roza. Roza it's me my love are you okay?' He replied soothingly. Relief swept through me at hearing his beautiful voice, leaving me speechless and unable to reply.

After a few moments Dimitri's voice became frantic 'Roza, are you there Roza? Please know that I love you. Always.' I still couldn't reply with words but my hoarse cries let him know I was still there.

'Please don't cry Roza, it breaks my heart to hear you upset and not be able to make it better. Just know that you are going to be an incredible guardian to Lissa and am I proud of you; so, so proud. How did you get this number? He was obviously desperate to hear me say something, anything.

Eventually I regained my ability to talk 'I'm coming to you Dimitri' was all I said.

'Wait. What. Now?' He spluttered out.

'Yes, I'm on my way' I confirmed.

'How do you know where I am?' He asked confused.

'You're in Siberia. I would always know where to find you' I told him. 'We've just stopped to refuel; I'll be with you shortly. Where I belong.'

'What about Vasilissa?' He asked.

'She understands' I answered simply.

'But she's your charge' he began.

I cut him off 'I'm not Lissa guardian, they never assigned me to a moroi' I explained.

I heard a string of Russian curses. 'I'll explain everything when I get to you and I'm safe in your arms' I promised.

'I'll be waiting at the airport for you my love' he vowed.

'I love you Comrade' I purred.

'I love you my Milaya' he responded in husky deep Russian accent. Then we disconnected the call.

**Please RxR**


	27. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

**I do NOT own Vampire Academy. **

The plane landed and I all but ran off of it to find my Dimitri, the minute I was on solid ground I looked around frantically and after a few moments I saw his bottomless brown eyes and then his arms were around me, protectively. I was so ecstatic to feel his touch, his presence that more tears fell down my cheeks without my permission. 'Shhh now Roza, I'm here now. I'm never leaving you again' he promised, I could hear his own tears in his voice.

After a few minutes we pulled apart slightly and rested our foreheads against one another so we were looking into each other's eyes. 'I love you' I mumbled. 'And I love you' he replied fiercely. He lifted me up into a kiss and then nothing else mattered apart from his soft lips on mine, all our problems fizzled away and I was overwhelmed by his alluring and intoxicating scent.

Dimitri grabbed my case with one hand and put his free arm around my waist pulling me against him. He explained we would be going to his family home then led me to a rental car never breaking his hold on my waist. 'If we set of now we'll reach Baia before the sun sets, the road there is very dangerous but we should be fine whilst we have sunlight' he explained after we got in the car.

I started to panic about meeting his family; surely they would hate me especially after everything that had happened to Dimitri as a result of our relationship. 'What will you family think of me after everything that's happened to you because of me?' I questioned nervously.

I saw his hands tighten around the steering wheel making his knuckles turn white. 'None of this is your fault Roza' he said adamantly. 'They're going to hate me' I whimpered.

'No Roza, they already know about you, we were planning on visiting them anyway remember. They are all dying to meet the women who I love and who makes me happy. They don't care about anything that's gone on as long as I'm happy and I'm happy as long as I'm with you' he promised, making eye contact with me whilst he said the last part.

'But you lost everything' I pointed out feebly.

He pulled into a layby and put his index finger under my chin and brought my eyes to look in his. 'I didn't lose everything, I didn't lose you. You're what's most important' he vowed. He then brought his lips to my own and we shared a passionate, loving kiss. He pulled away all too quickly for my liking and we restarted our journey.

I pondered what he'd said and relaxed slightly, we spent the rest of the long journey in comfortable silence with me slipping in and out of consciousness.

We'd been on the road what felt like a lifetime before I finally heard Dimitri's beautiful voice tell me we were here. I felt some of my early panic try to resurface but pushed it back down, once we were out of the car Dimitri seized my case and took my hand before leading me up the path to his quaint family home.

He knocked once before walking 'Mama' he called and then almost immediately there were five women who all bore a resemblance to the man I loved standing before us. None of them said anything as though they were waiting for Dimitri to speak first. He pulled me tighter to him if that were possible. 'Mama, babushka, sestras I would like you to meet my Roza and Roza this is my mother Olena, my grandmother Yeva and my sisters Karolina, Sonya and Viktoria he introduced us all.

Suddenly I had five sets of eyes on me and I felt very embarrassed. 'Oh Roza it's wonderful to finally meet you, you are even more beautiful that Dimka said' Olen gushed genuinely. 'Spasibo' I replied nervously.

'Alright everyone we're going to give the poor girl a heart attack, you can call me Vika by the way' Dimitri's youngest sister said sensing my nervousness for which I was thankful.

After that we all started hugging each other and the family were all conversing animatedly in Russia. 'Roza doesn't speak Russian' Dimitri clarified to everyone.

'She'll pick it up soon enough' Yeva stated and by the way she was the most terrifying grandmother I had ever seen, I wouldn't want to get on her wrong side. She then went back to speaking in her native Russian.

'Mama' Olena chastised her. 'Whilst in Russia she must learn to speak in our language' she retorted simply then she disappeared up the stairs.

Dimitri gripped me tighter. 'Don't worry about her; she's just very set in her ways' Olena reassured me. 'She has a point' I conceded.

They all smiled seeming to appreciate my comment. 'You must be exhausted, you room is ready for you upstairs. It's your old room Dimka, I trust you remember where it is. Dinner will be served in a couple of hours' she explained.

'Spasibo mama , ya tebya lyublyu vse , my budem videt' vas vskore' Dimitri addressed them all in Russian before turning his attention to me. 'Come on Roza lets go and get settled' he said before leading me up the stairs.

Once we were alone in his room Dimitri pulled me into a tight hug and pushed us against the door. 'So….what did you think of my sem'ya Roza?' he enquired. I had no idea what he was talking about and my face must have given me away. 'Family' he clarified in English whilst stifling a giggle.

'They are all lovely and they all have your eyes. Although your grandmother did scare me a little' I admitted.

He emitted a throaty chuckle. 'She has that effect on everyone Roza, don't worry about it. She's just trying to make sure you're worthy' he explained.

'Worthy of what?' I asked shocked.

'My love' he replied seriously.

I pondered this for a moment. 'Do you think I am worthy of your love?' I asked him.

'Of course' he chuckled 'sometimes I worry it's me who is unworthy of your love' he added his voice totally serious, almost awestruck. I then stretched on my tips toes and gave him a slow, meaningful kiss.

'You complete me Comrade, we were made for each other' I assured him against his lips.

'I concur' he answered pulling me into another tight hug.

After our heavy moment was over I decided to take a shower and Dimitri went to have a nap whilst we waited for teatime.

Once I was clean and refreshed and Dimitri had awoken from his nap we exited our room and headed downstairs to have dinner with his family. The second we reached the top of the stairs the smell of freshly prepared bread hit my nostrils and boy did it smell good. My mouth was watering instantly and as if on cue my stomach let out a loud growl, I could get used to this I chuckled to myself.

Despite the fact I'd only met the Belikova's a few hours ago it amazed me how comfortable they made me feel in their home, they welcomed me and made me feel at home right from the start. As we entered the kitchen Olena and Sonya were transferring all the dishes onto the dining table and it was obvious Olena had gone all out with this meal. There were plates of food everywhere, enough to feed an army and it all looked delicious.

Dimitri's mother asked him to call everyone to the table so he slipped his fingers from mine and went into the lounge to fetch them all; I instantly yearned for his touch again. 'Is there anything I can help you with Olena?' I asked.

'No dear, you are our guest. And please call me mama' she insisted.

That brought a smile to me face 'thank you' I said barely louder than a whisper.

Dimitri then snaked his arm around my waist, he must have heard me talking to his mother. 'See they all love you, I told you that you had nothing to worry about' he said against my hair.

'I really like them too, I feel really at home here' I confirmed. I could feel his lips turn up into a smile against my hair at my comment.

'Dimka put her down, don't you know it's rude to whisper' Sonya chastised humorously. We all laughed then I noticed Sonya's stomach, she was obviously pregnant, I'd say about five or six months. How had I not noticed that before? So much for my super acute senses.

Just then a young boy probably about six or seven walked in holding the hand of a young girl who was just a toddler. 'Uncle Dimka will you teach me how to fight later' he asked excitedly.

'If not today then tomorrow Paul' he promised with a smile.

'Roza these are my children Paul and Zoya' Karolina explained.

'It's lovely to meet you both' I said.

'Don't you think Paul is the image of Dimka?' Karolina asked.

'I have to agree and Zoya is such a cutie' I replied.

'Thank you Roza, looking at Paul is like looking at Dimka as a young boy, I'll get the photo's out later and show you' she said. I heard Dimitri groan behind me and couldn't help my giggle.

'I thought you were going on a date tonight' Dimitri said sounding a little desperate.

'I am' she confirmed.

'Don't worry we're not rushing off anywhere, I'm sure we can look at the photo's tomorrow' I interjected mischievously.

'Oh perfect. It's my day off tomorrow, we'll do it then' Karolina agreed with a smug smile on her face. Dimitri groaned again. Then we all took our seats at the table.

I helped myself to some goulash and picked up some sort of unidentifiable bread and began to tuck in. Olena must have noticed me observing the bread quizzically as she clarified what it was. 'That's black bread; it's one of Dimka's favourites' she pointed out.

I popped a piece into my mouth and it really was tasty. 'It's very good' I agreed.

'Dimka has the recipe, I'm sure he'll be able to make it for you whenever you like' she said happily.

You bake comrade? I never took you for the domestic type' I teased playfully.

'Oh Roza there you go again underestimating me' he chuckled.

We ate some more in comfortable silence before the conversation I'd been dreading reared its ugly head. 'So what do you two plan on doing after everything that has unfolded? Roza do you have to return to the royal court, to your charge?' Olena asked cautiously.

'Um no, I'm not going back, I don't have a charge. I mean I graduated and everything and I'm promised but I never received an assignment. Probably cause of everything that happened' I said sounding more defensive than I intended.

'Oh that's fine dear, I just wondered if the two of you have any plans for the future yet is all' Olena quickly reassured me.

'I just plan on being wherever Dimitri is' I told them all honestly.

I felt him squeeze my leg affectionately. 'We'll probably stay here in Baia for the time being and orchestrate a more long term plan from there. If that's ok with all of you and you Roza?' Dimitri added finally entering the conversation.

Everyone nodded. 'That's fine with me' I confirmed.

'What about the Princess?' Dimitri asked concerned.

'I'll keep in contact with Liss; we'll try and meet up when we can. I'm still gonna be part of her life if I can just not in a guardian role. Eddie is one of her guardians so I know she's safe, I don't know who her other guardian is yet though' I explained.

After that we finished eating in silence and I decided to have a sneaky peek into Lissa's head, she was already at court and as if by magic they were assigning her a second guardian. I could feel she missed me dearly through the bond and then I heard the name of her second guardian and I gasped internally.

'Everything ok?' Dimitri asked knowing what I was doing.

'Umm hum, they just assigned Lissa's second guardian' I said nervously.

Everyone turned to look at me sensing my uncertainty. 'Who is it?' Dimitri asked thoughtfully.

'My mother. They've assigned my mother as her second guardian' I said almost bitterly.

Translations - Spasibo mama , ya tebya lyublyu vse , my budem videt' vas vskore - thank you mom, i love you all, we will see you shortly

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	28. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

**Hope you enjoy this chapter, please RxR.**

**I do NOT own Vampire Academy. **

The next couple of months passed by uneventfully, I had kept in regular contact with Liss, and she'd told me she missed me terribly but other than that she seemed to be doing fine. We discussed my mother being her guardian and although it didn't sit too well with me at first considering my turbulent relationship with the woman I knew she was one hell of a guardian and would protect Lissa's life above her own. In the end I conceded as long as Liss was safe that was what was important, not who was protecting her. I think it helped Lissa to cope with me not being there too, for some reason she felt at least if my mom was there she still had a tiny part of me with her. Everything seemed fine on the surface, but whenever I checked the bond I couldn't help but feel she was trying to keep something from me. I guess I would have to wait until she was ready to confide in me, it was times like these that being apart from her really sucked.

Me and Dimitri had decided to stay in Baia for now at least so we'd rent a tiny apartment above a shop not far from his family or our family as I now referred to them. Olena had insisted it wasn't necessary but we felt since we would be here for a while it wasn't fair to cramp the small Belikova household even more. I loved our apartment anyway it was small but it was cosy and affordable and most importantly it was mine and Dimitri's own home.

We'd also both gotten ourselves part-time jobs, Dimitri was working at the local gym as a personal trainer and I was working in the store room at the local convenience store, I just stayed in the back and sorted out the stock so my inability to speak fluent Russian wasn't really an issue. Between these small wages, the money Dimitri had saved from his guardian wages and the money I had from Lissa we managed to get by. It was a simple life but it was nice.

I had just got back in from working the night shift, it was pretty early only about 6am and Dimitri was sitting at the breakfast bar in the kitchen. There were two plates set out, Dimitri had obviously prepared breakfast. I virtually ran over to him and lifted my lips to his forcefully, the kiss was lusty and needy and I ran my hands up and down his back trying to make as much contact with him as possible.

When we eventually pulled apart for air our breathing was staggered 'miss me?' I asked hoarsely.

'Every second you were gone' he practically growled back. He then pointed to the plates filled with fresh cooked blini and I took my seat next to him and we dug in.

I practically inhaled my food within about two minutes and then went for a quick shower. Although it was nothing compared to guardian training lugging all those heavy crates of food about really made a girl hot and sweaty. Afterwards I went back out into the open plan living area and snuggled up to Dimitri on the couch.

I could feel myself dozing of when suddenly Dimitri shot up and went over to the window, it was still only early, about 7am, and I presumed he must have heard something out there but the sun was up which was a good sign.

'Everything ok comrade?' I asked from the sofa.

He turned to look at me and there was an unidentifiable look on his face, was it surprise? 'Err… yeah… nothing to worry about Roza… When was the last time you spoke to Lissa?' He asked which confused me even more.

'Yesterday, why?' I questioned confused.

Suddenly it hit me, and I sensed her presence right before I heard the knock at the door, I looked at Dimitri stunned for a moment before I shot up and ran to the door.

'Rose' 'Lissa' we shouted each other's names in unison and she jumped into my arms. I peered behind her and saw Christian, Eddie, my mother and another dhampir I didn't recognise, Christian's guardian I guess.

'Oh my God Liss, what are you doing here? Not that I'm not beyond happy to see you' I stammered out still in total shock.

I heard Eddie let out a giggle in the background. 'Breaking guardian protocol are we Mr Castile?' I teased Eddie. He blushed ferociously and returned his guardian mask.

'You're one to talk' I heard my mom's snide comment. I glared at her coldly but choose to ignore her comment.

'I'm just messing with you Eddie, you know that' I reassured him. He gave me a quick nod of the head but never broke his dutiful position. I laughed.

'We've travelled all this way to see you Rose, are you going to invite us in or what?' Christian snarky comment interjected.

'I'm going to invite everyone else in but I might leave you out here' I replied dryly.

'What alone and defenceless?' he mocked feigning hurt.

'You Christian Ozera have never been defenceless, now come on everyone get your butts inside' I laughed.

Everyone entered and I heard my mom grumble about my 'impolite' invitation inside. 'You can always stay outside if you don't feel welcome' I called her out icily.

'I go wherever my charge goes' she replied matter-of-factly. I felt Dimitri's strong arms wrap around my waist and his attempt to calm me was successful, I walked away from her.

Our home was only small and it barely fit everyone in, Lissa and Christian were cuddled up on our small sofa and everyone else sat on the floor, I was snuggled up in Dimitri's lap. We all chatted and tucked into the snacks we'd laid out and after a couple of hours I had no choice but to give into my exhaustion.

I rose to my feet 'Sorry to leave you guys to entertain yourselves but I've got to get some sleep, I was at work all night so I'm shattered' I explained.

'Yeah and we all know what you're like when you're tired, God help us all' Christian teased.

'Don't worry about it, we're pretty beat ourselves. We'll go and find a hotel while the suns up' Lissa said.

'Absolutely not. You can all stay here, it's only small but Lissa and Christian can have the spare room and the guardians can stay in the lounge on airbeds. That way no one can get to the moroi without going through the guardians plus where high up, it's the safest option.' I argued.

All the guardian's including my mother seemed to agree with my logic and Lissa loved the idea of staying closer to me, so it was decided. They were only staying a week so it wasn't going to be a problem apart from the lack of bathrooms. Aside from our en-suite there was only one bathroom so they would all have to share, this was going to be good.

After I gave everyone a hug I made my way to our room, I heard Dimitri's sweet voice. 'I'll just get the airbeds set up for our guests and I'll be right in' he told me.

I changed into my PJ bottoms and a spaghetti strap top and climbed into bed just as my Russian God entered the room, within seconds he was in his PJ bottoms too and snuggled up beside me. 'Sleeps well my Roza I love you' he whispered in my ear.

That made me smile 'I love you too Comrade' I replied and not long after sleep became me.

We all made ourselves wake up around 1pm so we would all be on a human schedule, when I opened my eyes I noticed the other half of the bed was empty, I sighed. I then brushed my teeth and got changed before making my way into the kitchen, living area. There I found Christian and Dimitri cooking lunch and everyone else making conversation amongst themselves. As soon as Lissa saw me she shot up and gave me a tight squeeze before handing me a glass of fresh orange juice. Not long after Christian's whiney voice called us to the dining table, very small dining table I might add. It only had four seats so it was decided me and Dimitri would get a seat seen as it was our home and so would the moroi, Christian and Lissa and the guardians would eat of the work tops. I argued futilely of course.

'Man we really need a bigger table Comrade, we can't have our guests stand to eat' I groaned. Apart from maybe my mother she can stand I added in my own head evilly.

'I think we may need a bigger apartment first love, unless you can find somewhere to fit an eight seater table and chairs' he chuckled lightly. I loved to see him that relaxed it was still so rare especially when he was around others.

'Don't worry about it, us guardians are used to it, you should know that Rose. Thank you for opening up your home to us' Eddie said reassuringly.

'Owww I know how about we all eat out tonight for tea. It'll be on me and that way everyone will get a seat' Lissa interjected happily. I could feel her excitement through the bond.

'If we arrange it for about 5pm we'll still have a good 3 to 4 hours of sunlight so everyone will be able to sit and enjoy the meal' I added.

Everyone gave a nod of approval although I could see by the look on my mom's face she wasn't completely happy with the idea of leaving Lissa even partially unprotected, I respected her for that and it brought a small smile to my lips. My mom caught me smiling at her and looked puzzled at first before giving me an uneasy smile in return.

'Right it's sorted then, I'll make the reservations' Liss continued happily. We ate the rest of our breakfast in a comfortable silence.

After lunch I pulled Lissa to one side and we went into my bedroom to have a private chat, I told her exactly what Dimitri and me had been up to and she filled me in about court life and college. After I left Liss had decided against going to leyleigh because she didn't want Tatiana to have anything over her and she didn't want to go without me. Instead she was studying from court doing some sort of distance learning, I know she'd always wanted to experience college life but I could tell she felt she'd made the right decision.

'I miss you so much' she blurted out.

'I miss you too Liss. I wish I could have stayed with you and become your guardian but fate obviously had other plans' I conceded.

'I know Rose. You did what you had to do, I understand that' she confirmed.

'Thanks for understanding Liss' I smiled.

'Are you kidding? If someone had taken Christian away like that I would have done exactly the same thing' she rationalised. I pulled her into a hug.

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